The Pressure Of This Life
by sharada614
Summary: Jay finally got his life on track, and he did it by getting away from Degrassi, and Canada altogether. What happens when Degrassi makes its way back into Jay's life? Will Jay be able to handle all the pressure life has to offer?
1. I don't wanna live my life like a story

** Prologue: I don't want to live my life like a story**

Jay sighed as he leaned back in his office chair. This was like any other day, yet it wasn't. He felt as if something was going to happen. Rubbing his face with his hands, Jay tried to focus back on his work. Never in his entire life did he picture this happening, especially after getting expelled from Degrassi.

Something inside him flipped once Alex left to get a handle on her own life. Taking a step back and looking at the life he was living, Jay realized that he wasn't happy, and that he didn't want to live like that. He couldn't be spending the rest of his life the way he was. Yeah, partying was great, but it wasn't everything.

He left Toronto, figuring if he got away, he would be more likely to focus on what he wanted for himself in the long run. It did work. Jay got his GED, which wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. College, however, was as hard as he expected it to be, and probably because his major and minor were so diverse. Jay went to school for business, and automotive.

During his years at college, Jay worked in two garages. He had never worked so hard in his life, but he never felt as fulfilled either. Once he graduated, Jay knew he had made the right choice. Sure, he didn't change everything about him, but he was now a college graduate, and he was sure no one would believe him if he said he was.

Once Jay was finally done with school, he went shopping for his own garage. It took him a couple months to find an old garage that was in good enough shape, but he found one. During those couple months, Jay worked nonstop, making sure he had enough cash flow for when he did find a garage.

Ironically enough, Jay had bought out his old boss, Tony. Tony was happy that Jay was the one buying it, knowing it was in good hands. Jay even opted to keep the name the same. There was no reason changing something that worked. The only thing was that buying out Tony meant he was back in Toronto, for the time being anyway.

Tony's Garage was doing the best business that it had ever done. In only a year, Jay was able to expand the company. With a lot of help, and a lot of work, Jay had successively opened another Tony's Garage. It was a couple more years before Jay was able to move his business across country lines. Once he settled in America, Jay began taking the mechanical world by storm. Never in his life did Jay think this could happen for him, or that he had the willpower to do it.


	2. I say this is my life

** Chapter 1: I say yes, this is my life**

There was a slight knock on his office door in his New York home. Jay looked up from the paperwork on his desk, "Yeah?" He asked, not really thinking about who it was knocking.

In came Jay's girlfriend, Jessica. She was a pretty girl, about 5'7, brown hair with greenish hazel eyes, and a very nice figure. At first glance, she looked like a typical girl, skinny, shallow, and selfish. She smiled warmly at him, "Hey, I wanna go out tonight." She told him.

Jay sighed; she always wanted to do something. "And I fired the maid. I called the service; I told them I want a white person, someone who speaks English." Jessica's rant could only make Jay sigh again. She went through maids as if they were paper clips or post-it notes, it was rather ridiculous.

"Jess, I have a ton of work to catch up on." Jay looked away from her, not wanting to get sucked into her puppy dog face.

"Oh, well I guess I'll go out by myself… don't wait up," With that said, Jessica was out of the office.

A few minutes later, Jay heard the front door open and close. This wasn't anything new. Jessica was out all the time, and usually didn't come home until two or three in the morning.

Focusing back on the pile of paper on his desk, Jay tried to get back to work. He wasn't actually behind, not as behind as he claimed to be. Truth be told, Jay was tired of going out with Jessica's friends. Sure, they had only been together for about a year, but it felt like forever. Usually, Jay just tried to push her out of his mind. He knew that wasn't right, but he did like her, he just wasn't in love with her, and Jay was more than sure that Jessica wasn't in love with him.

Getting up, Jay walked out of his office, down the hallway, through the foyer, and ended up in the huge kitchen. After grabbing a beer from the fridge, Jay sat down at the island. Looking up into the high ceilings, Jay sighed again. He practically hated living here. Remembering back, about a year ago, when he had first met Jessica at some club or another, they bought this house together. Correction, Jay bought this house. Another correction, Jay bought this mansion.

The two hadn't been together all that long, no longer than three months when Jessica began talking about living together. She is a high class girl, and nothing less than overly expensive would suit her. For a reason unknown to Jay, he put up with it. Jessica was great at first. They went out to clubs, and just hung out. That was Jay's thing. Sure, he could have been living large, living the life, but Jay never wanted that, until Jessica. He got used to the fact that Jessica never settled for anything that wasn't exactly what she wanted. To put it in plain simple terms, Jessica is a spoiled brat, and it leaves Jay bewildered that he of all people puts up with it. For the most part, Jay figured since he was always working, and didn't have to deal with Jessica too much, that that is why he is still with her. A small part of him likes coming home to someone, even though it can take ten minutes to find her. The fact is, Jay is with Jessica, and that's it. He decides not to put so much thought into it.


	3. Welcome Home

** Chapter 2: Welcome home**

It is a huge two story house, ten rooms and five bathrooms. When you walk in the front door, you can either go right, to the dining room and to the kitchen, or you can go left, to the living room. If you choose to go down the hallway, the first door on the left is Jay's office, and the second is his gym, where Jay spends most of his time. The last room on the first floor is the den. Usually, Jay was the only one who spent any time on the first floor, the way he liked it.

On the second floor were four more than descent sized bedrooms. The master bedroom was full of Jessica's stuff. She was a shop-o-holic, but as long as she didn't use Jay's money, he didn't care. Jay did like the master bedroom though. The bed was a huge king size mess of comfortable.

Finishing off his beer, Jay headed into the back of the house, to the den. He knew he wasn't going to be able to get any work done tonight so there was no point in trying. Instead, Jay turned on the TV, flicking through to see if any good sport games were on. Finally finding something to invade the silence, Jay put the remote back on the coffee table and settled into the couch.

In a few seconds, Jay was asleep. Lately, he was having a hard time falling and/or staying asleep, so when he woke up at four in the morning, Jay was more than a little cranky, but he was used to getting four-six hours of sleep.

Waking up, Jay stretched a bit before walking into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Not wanting to go upstairs, Jay walked to the gym and pulled out a pair of shorts and boxers from the cabinet. He took a ten minute shower, changing into his clean clothes, and walking back out to the kitchen. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, Jay took his cup back to his office.

Sitting down to work, Jay took a long sip from his cup. The hot liquid lightly scorched his tongue, but Jay didn't really mind. Setting the cup down on the desk, Jay put his mind into his work. Getting it done was the only thing on his mind, until the doorbell rang. He continued on with his work, not wanting to disrupt his flow.

No one answered the door, so the person on the other side of it rang the bell again. "Somebody stop that damn ringing!" Jessica screamed, only making her headache worse.

"Well," Jay started, standing up and walking out to door, "If you wouldn't fire every damn maid you get, someone would be here to answer the fucking," Jay opened the door. Surprised, he lowered his voice, "… door."

**Hi guys : I tend to post more if I know people are interested, so please leave comments. They are greatly appreciated )**


	4. Always the words

** Chapter 3: Always the words**

Shocked was all Jay felt.

"Um… hi…"

The words snapped Jay out of his daze. She didn't sound nervous, which shocked him a little bit, but Jay was shocked in general so he couldn't really focus on it. He looked at her; never in his life did he think he would see anyone he knew again. She looked different, but Jay knew who she was. It was kind of like a curse. Jay doubted he would ever forget the faces from Degrassi, whether he had liked them or not.

"Hun, who's at the door?" Jessica asked, her voice sweeter than before, probably due to the medicine she had been downing to get rid of her headache. She stood behind him, peering around him, "Are you the new maid?" Jessica questioned.

The woman standing on the other side of the door nodded her head gingerly.

"Jay, get out of the way," Jessica shoved Jay's hand away from the door, opening it wider, "Come in,"

Following orders, she stepped inside.

"Okay, I'll show you around, and what room you'll be staying in." Jessica took her upstairs. Jay could hear her barking orders already, "When you clean my room, make sure you put everything back. Don't make conversation with the people who come over unless they ask you for something. Make sure you don't talk to Jay; he gets grumpy when he's working. You are not allowed to have people over. You will only get Sundays off, unless I say otherwise…" Jessica went on as they walked up the curved staircase. She nodded her head, letting Jessica know that she was listening carefully.

"This is your room. You are not allowed to change anything around. While you clean, you must wear the uniform, so people know who you are. While you are working, you are not to goof off, no phone or anything like that. You may use anything in here." Jessica walked out of the room as she set her bag on the floor, "This is the bathroom you will be allowed to use. There should be plenty of things in here." Jessica went on, showing her the rest of the house.

When they got downstairs, Jay was back in his office. Not bothering to disturb him, Jessica skipped over that room, telling the woman that she wouldn't be going in there all that much since Jay practically lived in there. "Okay, so this is my house, any questions/comments?" Jessica asked, looking at her impatiently.

"Um, yes, this will be my second job, so when I am done cleaning, I will more than likely be working on my laptop." She told her employer.

"Okay, no problem, just as long as the house is clean then I don't care." Jessica pushed it away, coming off as a big snob, "Okay, so if you can start cleaning, that would be great." With that said, Jessica walked away.

She fought the urge to make a rude gesture behind Jessica's back. That woman was down right rude. It was no wonder her boss had told her that she was in desperate need to please Jessica.


	5. I got a job that wastes my time

** Chapter 4: I got a job that wastes my time**

Rolling her eyes, She watched Jessica walk away. She had a very strong feeling that She wasn't going to like working here. Walking back to the kitchen, She picked up the bucket; filling it will all of the cleaning supplies She would need, and headed back up the stairs.

Starting at the end of the house, which happened to be Her room, since it was the last room, She began cleaning. Without taking a break, She worked and worked. Working in the master bedroom was a nightmare because Jessica was in there, telling Her what to do every time She touched something.

She couldn't believe She allowed Her boss to talk Her into working for Jessica, or being a maid in general. She also couldn't believe that She didn't bother to ask who it was that She was working for. Usually, She was able to meet the families first, just to make sure they all got along. Then again, She usually wasn't just a maid.

Jay, who had been back in his office, was focused on trying to get his work finished, but he couldn't. Still stuck on the woman that showed up at his house, Jay was almost off in la-la land. The silence was deafening as his mind ate away at him. Picking up his coffee cup, he tasted cold coffee. Making a face, Jay got up, walking into the kitchen to refill his cup.

A weird feeling was stirring up in him. He didn't know why this felt so bizarre, but it was, and he had no clue how to fix it, or if you even could fix it. Instead, Jay took his cup of coffee and went back to his office, closing the door behind him. Sitting behind his desk, once again, Jay threw himself into his work.

Pushing every thought out of his head, Jay began stuffing the words from the papers into his brain. He had to go over all the business' he owned and made sure he was getting all the paperwork. Jay usually hated this part, all the accounting, and dealing with the business from every garage, but now, this hard work was the only thing keeping him sane right now.


	6. Green is the color of my envy

** Chapter 5: Green is the color of my envy**

Jay walked into his house after being out of town. He had to check up on one of his latest garages. When he walked into his New York mansion, Jay heard nothing but silence. It was only sixish, so he didn't think Jessica would be out yet, but apparently she was. Jay definitely didn't mind.

Climbing the stairs, Jay decided he could take a shower in his own bathroom for once. Sure, he did own the house, but Jessica usually lived in the master bedroom, so Jay hardly ever step foot in it anymore. Turning the water on, Jay stripped and got in the shower. The ten minutes calmed his nerves a bit, but he was still unsure of what was going on with him.

After changing into a pair of baggy shorts and a wife beater, Jay left his room. Upon walking down the hall, Jay heard faint music coming from the end room. He had almost, almost forgotten that they had a new maid. Knocking lightly, Jay opened the door.

There, on the bed that was now hers, layed a half naked woman. She had her radio on where soft rock music played. Lying on her stomach, she was working on her laptop as she gently kicked her legs alternatively behind her. He was transfixed on her legs, which led to him staring at her butt, which was only covered by a small pair of boy shorts. Covering her upper body was a small, skin tight spaghetti tank top.

Pulling his eyes away from her body, Jay spoke lightly, "Hey Greenpeace."

Emma turned her head, a smirk forming on her lips, "Hey Mr. Bad Boy," Picking up her remote, Emma turned the radio off, "I never thought I would see you again, let alone work for you." Emma told him as she turned back to her laptop to finish what she was doing.

Jay used the time to stare hard at her body, "Yeah, me either," Jay agreed, "I was uh, just going to order something to eat," He paused, watching her turn to face him.

"I made myself dinner earlier; I can heat up the leftovers for you." Emma suggested.

Jay shifted in the doorway, "Um, yeah, if you want."

"I work for you, so if you want, I will." Emma gave him a smirk. She was taking this surprisingly well, probably because she was still a little overwhelmed.

"Um yeah, please." Jay finally said.

Emma nodded, "Okay, just let me grab a pair of pants."

This was an Emma that Jay wasn't used to, an Emma that he never knew. He never thought she would be standing in front of him half naked and not freaking out about it. Standing up, Emma opened a drawer to the dresser and pulled out a pair of polka dotted pajamas made out of a sheer material.

Jay let her go down first, acting like he was being a gentleman, but really just wanting to watch her walk down the stairs. He also watched her move around the kitchen, almost as if she had been there longer than the week or so that she had actually been there.

Sitting down at the island, Jay casually asked, "Do you know where Jess is?"

"I know she said something about going out with the girls, but she talks so much that I can't remember if she said where." Emma answered honestly as she made Jay a plate.

"That she does," Jay concurred, nodding his head a bit.

She set his plate in front of him, "I have some work to finish up, but if you need me, I'll be in my room." She gave him a small smile before heading out of the kitchen, leaving Jay to his own, not so innocent, thoughts.


	7. Me go get wasted

** Chapter 6: Me go get wasted**

"Jay, I'm leaving," Jess whined, trying to get Jay to at least acknowledge that he heard her.

"Going where?" He finally mumbled groggily. He hated when she woke him up so early when he didn't get to sleep until late, and part of that was her fault.

"Work for a bit, and then I might stop home before going to Tiff's party." She retold him, "Bye hun," She blew him a kiss and left the bedroom.

Rubbing his eyes, Jay sat up, now he definitely wasn't going to get back to sleep. Standing up, Jay turned, stretching his upper body. Since he wasn't going to be able to sleep, he might as well take a shower so he's fully awake.

Leaving his room dressed in a pair of relaxed jeans and a plain t-shirt, Jay grabbed his car keys and headed out. He might as well get his errands done now. Pulling into the Tony's Garage located in New York, Jay got out and headed inside. Happy to see people working, Jay said random hellos and went to the office. Jay liked that he barely had to do the shop work. He still loves working on cars, but he only has to go in when he wants to go in. His life wasn't too bad, for once.

The hours rolled by, one turning into two, and so on. Before he knew it, it was going on nine o' clock. He hadn't expected to be out all day, but Jessica wasn't going to be home anyway. Instead of going home, Jay headed to his favorite nightspot, ready to get drunk. Nodding to his friends as he entered, Jay ordered himself some drinks and began catching up with people. The night then rolled by.

It was going on two A.M. when Jay got home, struggling to get inside the front door. Emma, who had been up, went downstairs as she heard the front door open. Jessica had gotten home only thirty or so minutes ago, so she figured it must be Jay.

"Jay?" She asked, stepping closer to him.

"Shh," He attempted to put his finger to his lips, but failed.

"How did you get home?"

"I drove" Jay stated as if it was obvious.

"You shouldn't drive drunk." She half-scolded him, "Gimme your keys." Snatching the keys from his hands, Emma sat them on the bureau. She took his one arm, putting it over her shoulders and attempted to help him up.

"What are you doing?" Jessica bellowed.

"I'm trying to help Jay get to bed, what's it look like I'm doing?" Emma did her best to hide her sneer.

Jessica was a typical woman: clueless. "Don't you think you should address him properly?" Jessica tapped her foot as she put her hands to her hips.

Trying her best not to laugh, Emma went back to getting Jay to stand up on both feet.

"Greenpeace doesn't have to 'address me properly'." Jay mimicked Jessica, who was not fond of it at all,

"Greenpeace?" She repeated.

"My nickname for her," Jay replied, slowly sobering up.

"Nickname?" Jessica repeated again.

"Yes nickname, from high school, where we know each other from." Jay exhaled loudly, letting Jessica know he was getting irritated.

"You know each other?" Jessica yelled, "And you didn't think to tell me?" She asked, not lowering her voice, "Oh you must be one of those girls, from his past," Jessica emphasized, causing Emma to shoot her a look.

"We've never dated." Emma replied simply, remembering that she is employed by her.

"Nah, Greenpeace here was too… classy to even look at me." Jay watched as Jessica got angrier.

"So you had a crush on her?"

Emma hid her urge to chuckle; just hearing those words was funny.

"I didn't say that Jess." Jay sighed, "I'm tired, and I don't feel like arguing, okay?" Jay took his arm off of Emma.

"Well don't think you're sleeping up here tonight." Jessica told him, readying to go back to bed.

"Hey Jess," Jay waited for her to look at him, "Don't tell me where I can and cannot sleep in my house." With those words said, Emma was suddenly the only one around. Jay had walked back towards the den as Jessica stomped off towards her room.


	8. more deep inside of you

** Chapter 7: Have you got some more deep inside of you?**

Jessica went out the next day, not wanting to be around Jay or Emma, but before she left, she hastily walked into Emma's room. "Don't think you can steal Jay from me," She told Emma, who looked up at her confused.

"Why would I want to do that?" Emma asked, only adding to Jess's fueling anger.

"You just stay away from him." She hollered.

Watching her exit the room, Emma just stared at her. Jessica was going coo-coo. Going on with the rest of her day, Emma did all her 'maid'-en duties. Afterwards, Emma took more than a few hours to work on her laptop. It was nearing dinner time when Emma went back downstairs. Jessica was still out, but Emma hadn't seen Jay, so she didn't know if he was home or not.

Quietly, Emma walked over his office. Standing still, Emma heard the rustle of papers, so she tentatively lifted her fist to knock on the door. Opening just as carefully as when she knocked, Emma stuck her head in. "Um, do you want some food, or coffee, or something?" Emma asked softly, almost as if she was afraid of Jay.

Sitting there in his chair, he looked so tense, stern, and not at all happy. He sighed, rubbing his face with the palms of his hands. "Uh, no, no, I don't know… ugh," Jay rubbed his eyes again.

Emma left, figuring Jay wasn't feeling good after all he drank last night, and technically, this morning. Walking into the kitchen, Emma made some hot chocolate, grabbed the marshmallows and the whip cream, and put it on a tray. Since she has always been a klutz, Emma walked very cautiously back to Jay's office. Balancing the tray, Emma gave the door a tap before opening it.

Jay looked up to see her coming in with a tray. "What you got there?" Jay asked.

Emma gave him a small smile before setting it down on his desk. She straightened up his papers, making sure they weren't in the way. "Some hot chocolate," Emma replied, filling the mug up with marshmallows and whip cream.

"Hot chocolate," Jay repeated, watching her every move.

"I know I'm technically working, but I hate that stupid uniform." Emma told Jay as she handed him the cup.

"Wear whatever you want," Jay waved it off, "I'm not a fan of uniforms either." Emma laughed genially. "Why'd you make me hot chocolate?" He asked, curious as to why she decided to make it.

"Well, you seemed tense, and hot chocolate cures everything." Emma shrugged her shoulders lightly.

"Well… thanks," Jay gave her a small smirk, unsure of what else to say.

That's when he really looked at her. The lamp from the corner of the room was making her look radiant. Emma was dressed in a pair of shorts with a thin tank top. Her bare legs were all Jay could see. He didn't realize how long he had been quiet for until he saw Emma shifting her feet.

"So, I guess I should head up to bed." Emma stated, not sure she needed to be there anymore.

She went to turn around but Jay said, "Wait." Emma turned around, looking at him once again, "How about we catch up, or something?" Jay suggested.


	9. Hard to keep my head up

** Chapter 8: It makes it hard to keep my head up level**

"Well… I do have some questions for you." Emma replied curiously as she stepped closer to his desk again.

"Okay, shoot," Jay told her, leaning back in his chair as he sipped some more of his cocoa.

"How did you make this happen?" She asked, looking up at the high ceiling of the office.

"With a lot of hard work," Jay smiled slightly, putting his cup down on the desk.

Looking at it, Emma picked up the whip cream, adding more to the cup. "Tell me about it," Emma beseeched. P

utting his finger in the whip cream, Jay flung some at Emma, "Sure."

Emma gasped lightly as the whip cream hit her in the face, "Hey!" She wiped it off as Jay moved some things off his desk.

"Come sit here," Jay ordered, although it didn't sound like an order. Sitting on the edge of the desk, Emma allowed Jay access to her legs without realizing it. As he leaned back in his chair in a relaxed position, Jay's eyes were level with the hem of her shorts, which were now riding up her thighs.

"So, tell me how you made all this happen." Emma persevered, breaking Jay out of his thoughts.

"Right," Jay started, "I don't know… one day I realized that I wanted… something more or whatever. I left Toronto, got my GED, went to college and bought out Tony… and here I am almost five years later." Jay concluded.

Popping a marsh mellow into her mouth, Emma nodded lightly. "That's good… that you were able to do that… and on your own."

Jay just shrugged to Emma's comment. "So, how did you end up here?" Jay questioned her.

Emma, staring off into space for a moment, was brought back to life at Degrassi. Momentarily, Jay forgot he had just asked Emma a question and went back to checking out her legs.

She crossed one over the other, making her shorts ride up a little higher, and turned to Jay. "I uh… this is actually my first time as a maid." She told him.

"Really?" He queried.

"Yeah," Emma nodded, "I'm usually a nanny, a live in one, but the last employer I had was moving to Virginia, and I couldn't go with them. I don't want to live in Virginia." Emma paused, "My other job, the reason why I'm on my laptop all the time, is because I'm an online advertiser."

"That sounds like you make descent money," He commented, "So why the second job?"

Emma looked away from him as she began lightly kicking her legs, "I have this… issue… and I don't like to be at one place for too long." Emma spoke softly, "Working as a nanny, you're only needed for so long… kids grow up… or they move… or whatever, so I just move on to the next family." She gathered herself before continuing, "I mean, why should I pay for a place when I can live where I work?" Emma shook her head, "I don't know…"

"Well, how'd you end up here, so far away from home?" Jay inquired, causing Emma to cast her eyes down.

This was something she wasn't too keen on talking about. Luckily, they both heard the front door open and close. On a reflex, Emma got off the desk, just as Jessica opened the door. She looked at Jay and then at Emma, and back to Jay. Jay could see the anger building behind his girlfriend's eyes, but now, Emma was standing a foot or so away from the desk with her hands clasped together in front of her. It didn't look like anything was going on, so Jessica had no reason to be upset.


	10. Don't run along side and control

** Chapter 9: Don't run along side and control me**

"Didn't I tell you that you weren't allowed in here?" Jessica asked, directing her anger towards Emma.

"I asked her to talk to me, since you weren't home." Jay answered, trying to get Jessica to not yell at Emma.

"Why aren't you in your uniform?" She questioned, not lightening up her voice at all.

"I was getting ready for bed." Emma told her, trying to remember that Jessica paid her, even though Emma wanted to punch her in the face.

"I told you not to talk unless someone was directing a question towards you," Jessica said, "And did you forget the talk I had with you this morning?"

"No I didn't." Emma replied, growing annoyed with Jessica.

"Jess, I asked her to come in here. Why are you making such a big deal outta this?" Jay asked, not liking that she was continuing to yell at Emma.

"You're dismissed," Jessica told Emma, motioning for her to leave.

Leaving quietly, Emma walked past Jessica, fighting the urge to call her out, or retaliate in any way. She closed the door behind her gently before walking up the stairs. Jessica turned to look at Jay, who was already staring at her.

"What were you talking about?" Jessica asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"Chit chat," Jay replied, placing his elbows on the desk.

"What kind of 'chit chat'?" Jessica asked, even more aggravated than before.

"The kind you talk about with people," Jay said, he raised his eyebrows, "What is your problem?"

"I don't have a problem!" Jessica yelled at him, "I told her not to talk to you, and she disobeyed my orders. She is fired." Jessica ranted.

Jay looked at her, furrowing his eyebrows, "Why isn't she allowed to talk to me?" Jay asked. Jessica's eyes went wide; she hadn't realized she said it like that. "Don't make me repeat myself." Jay told her sternly.

"I, I, just didn't want her… bothering you… while you were working." Jessica replied feebly. Jay shook his head at her, "You are… being a real…bitch," Jay said to her, "Emma is not fired. I'm the one who signs her check." Jay paused before continuing, "I'm sick of going through maids, so she's staying." Jessica huffed a little. "Don't even try to pull that with me," Jay leaned back in his chair, "Now my hot chocolate it cold." He stood up, carrying the tray with him into the kitchen as Jessica followed. He put the cup in the microwave as Jessica leaned against the counter.

"She's supposed to wear her uniform," Jessica half mumbled.

"Jess, I was the only one here, I know she's the maid." Jay took his cup from the microwave. Adding some more marsh mellows and whipped cream before putting them away.

"But she shouldn't walk around… half naked." Jessica argued.

Those words brought Jay back to Emma's legs. "It's not like she was in her bra and underwear," Jay replied and put the cup to his lips to hide his smirk as he pictured how great Emma would look in nothing.

"Ugh, fine… I'm going to bed," Jessica was defeated, and tired. She walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Did you really have to come home then? Jay asked out loud in a low voice, "Why couldn't you have come home later?"


	11. There's something so divided

** Chapter 10: There's something so divided**

Jay stared in the direction Jessica had walked as he finished off his cup of hot chocolate. Walking quietly, Jay ascended the steps. Instead of going straight towards his bedroom, Jay veered off to the left, and walked down the hallway. Stopping at the last door, Jay knocked lightly before entering. In the middle of the empty rug was Emma, stretching. Closing the door behind him, just in case Jessica was to get up again, Jay watched Emma elongate her body.

"What's up?" Emma asked as she bent over, touching her hands to the floor with her legs straight.

Tilting his head over so slightly, Jay watched the curve of her body. "I uh, wanted to… apologize for Jess," Jay said, unable to take his eyes off her.

"Oh… she is a handful, huh?" Emma looked at him briefly.

Quickly, Jay lifted his eyes to her face, "Yeah," Jay agreed. Emma stretched into a new position, and Jay had to talk to keep his mind out of the gutter, "What are you doing?" He asked, watching her body easily contort as she stretched.

"Yoga," Emma answered as she took a deep breath.

"Yoga," Jay repeated in a low voice. It was his new favorite thing. "How do you get your body to do that?" Jay queried, tilting his head even more. He was happy he was able to ask that because now he could openly stare at her.

"I started doing this a few years ago, to help me." Emma told him. She stood up, "You wanna try?"

Jay looked at Emma like she had five heads. "I don't think so," Jay shook his head, but Emma headed towards him anyway.

Taking his arm, Emma brought him to the middle of the open space. "Okay, just copy what I do," Emma said, doing simple stretches to loosen up Jay's body. He had no problem copying her since his eyes had to be on her in order to do so. "Good, now try this." Emma stretched her body out.

Jay didn't realize how hard it was to stand up straight and manipulate his arms. Giggling, Emma stood up and stepped in front of him, "Here, let me help you." Placing her hands on his arms, Emma helped Jay into the position.

Jay took a deep breath before taking his arms down, "Yep, no way I can do that for more than a few seconds." Emma laughed lightly, making Jay realize that she was still standing rather close to him. Being at least four inches shorter than him, Jay looked down at Emma. She looked up, meeting his gaze.

For a moment, they were frozen, as if time was standing still. Emma was trying to read his eyes, but all she saw was the incredible blue color, and the fullness of his lips. Jay, on the other hand, was trying to stay focused, but his eyes were slowly drifting down, towards her chest. That tight scoop neck tank top was all Jay could see.

Snapping out of whatever moment she was in, Emma spoke, "Uh, it's… getting late… maybe you should get some sleep… you do have work tomorrow," Emma rambled, still locked on his eyes.

"Right, right," Jay took a step back, shaking his head a bit to bring himself back to reality, "Night," Jay made his way out of Emma's room.

"Night," She replied.


	12. You've got me tired

** Chapter 11: You've got me tired**

Emma, in her uniform, was downstairs, in the kitchen making breakfast. She hated that she was so short, and that cabinets were made above the refrigerator. Reaching her hand up, Emma tried desperately to reach for the blender.

Jay was coming down the stairs, heading into the kitchen. Watching Emma struggle for a second, Jay walked up behind her. Standing with his body very close to her back, Jay reached up, and pulled down the blender.

"Thanks," Emma spoke in a low voice.

Jay didn't move for a moment. He stayed behind Emma, breathing in the scent of her strawberry shampoo and conditioner. He was transfixed, completely lost in a moment, and forgot why he was standing there with a blender in his hand.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard. Jessica was walking down the stairs. Rather quickly, Jay stepped back and handed the blender to Emma, who took it without looking at him. She walked back over to the stove, plugging the blender into an open outlet. She started making Jessica's shake as she entered the kitchen. Grabbing her favorite glass, Emma poured it out of the blender and placed it at Jessica's seat. Emma then went on to make Jay's plate. She set it in front of him, along with a cup of orange juice, and a mug of coffee.

"What's this for?" Jay asked, looking down at the orange juice.

"Its orange juice, it's good for you," Emma told him. She cleaned up the cooking mess, "Excuse me," Emma said politely.

Leaving the kitchen, Emma headed upstairs to start cleaning the house. Jay looked back down at the orange juice before he began eating his breakfast.

"So…" Jessica started, lightly twirling her glass, "I offered to take a trip, for work." She told Jay, who just nodded as he shoveled another forkful of food into his mouth. "So, I'll be back on Monday."

"Okay," Jay replied. With the way she was talking, Jay didn't know if he actually believed her, but he was getting to the point where he just didn't really care. He felt like he still had an attraction towards her, but it was slowly beginning to fizzle out.

Jessica got up, standing behind him. Hugging him from behind, Jessica planted a kiss on his cheek, and worked her way down to his neck. "Say bye to me before I leave," Jessica suggested seductively before leaving the kitchen.

Debating as he finished his food, Jay pondered whether or not having sex with Jessica was the right move. It was still so unlike him to turn that down, but he felt as if Jessica was… almost hiding something from him. He tried to shake the thought away. Since when did Jay care? This was his first real relationship, but it didn't feel like a relationship, not how one should feel.


	13. I look so hard

** Chapter 12: I look so hard**

It was one of the first weekends where Jay didn't have to go away on some sort of business trip. He was happy to be Jessica-free for the weekend, and was planning on doing nothing but hanging out. Of course, Jay would have to get all his work out of the way first.

Early Saturday morning, since Jay was barely able to sleep, Jay began working in his office. Keeping himself focused, Jay finished up all his paperwork in about two hours. To keep his stamina up, Jay figured he could use a little workout. Lifting weights always cleared his head; it took him away from everything.

As the time progressed, Jay really just wanted to relax. Walking back towards the den, Jay noticed the clock on the wall. It was almost seven already, and he had no idea where the time went, but he also didn't care. Settling down, Jay went through the guide, trying to find a descent movie to watch. Settling on an action movie that he's never heard of before, Jay stretched out across the big couch.

It was only a few minutes into the movie when Emma walked in, "I was looking for you." She told him, "Do you need anything?"

Jay looked up at her, and noticed how cute she looked in her uniform. "Nah, I'm good," Jay replied, pulling his eyes off her.

"Okay, well… night," Emma began to walk away.

"Wait…" Jay called out, causing Emma to turn around to face him, "Watch the movie with me," He said, and waited to hear Emma's answer.

"Um, sure… just let me change out of this stupid uniform."

"Bring me a beer on your way in please." Jay watched Emma leave the room, and could hear her head up the steps.

A few minutes later, Emma returned in a pair of gray shorts with a red and black striped band, and a fitted black tee with some kind of design on it, with a beer in her hand. Putting in on the table in front of him, Emma walked around and sat on the opposite end of the couch.

With Jay being stretched out, there were about five inches between Emma and Jay's feet. Watching the movie in silence, Jay stole random glances at Emma whenever he sipped his beer. When he saw her moving, he decided to ask her, "You want to stretch out? The couch is wide enough for both of us."

"Are you calling me fat?" Emma joked, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Oh yeah, you're huge." Sarcasm dripped from his lips as his own smirk began to form. Emma looked at him skeptically so Jay continued, "I won't bite."


	14. Leave this between you and me

** Chapter 13: Let's leave this between you and me**

Emma moved, stretching her body out in front of Jay. The couch was big, and extremely comfortable. There was about an inch, possibly an inch and a half between the two. With his head in his hand, Jay looked down, stealing more and more glances at Emma as she focused on the movie, or at least tried to. Within an hour, maybe less, Emma was asleep. Jay had finished off his beer and was getting tired himself. Turning the television down, Jay settled into the couch. He too was fast asleep.

Waking up, Emma took a second to remember where she was. It was then that she noticed how she was laying. Jay's arm and Emma's arm were intertwined, with her head resting on them, and Jay's head resting softly on hers. Their legs were also tangled together, with Jay's free arm draped over her side.

Out of pure shock, Emma jolted up. This caused Emma's head to knock into Jay's, and for her to fall off the couch as their legs untangled. Instantly awakened as he felt the pain in his mouth, Jay tried to find his energy to sit up. Emma looked up at him from her position on the floor as Jay put his fingers to the inside of his lips. There was blood. Wiping his fingers on his shorts, he looked down at Emma.

"I'm so sorry," Emma spoke quickly, thoroughly embarrassed. She pushed herself up, sitting on the edge of the couch. "I'm so sorry," She repeated.

Jay shook his head, "No worries, what was that about anyway?" Jay asked, locking eyes with Emma.

"You… I…" Emma stuttered as she tried to find the words to explain how they were just laying. Thinking back, Emma felt she was acting childish. They just fell asleep, it wasn't like anything more was involved.

"My lip hurts," Jay murmured as he ran his tongue along the cut.

"I'm so sorry," Emma said again, "Do you want me to get your something for it? Ice or something?" Emma looked at him, not expecting the answer he was going to give her.

"Well, you know how the tradition goes," Jay told her, only to get a confused look from Emma, "You gave me a boo-boo, now you have to kiss it to make it feel better."

Emma tried to hide the initial shock she felt. Was Jay really asking for her to kiss him?

"Come on," Jay insisted as he pouted his lips. Emma saw the cut on the inside of his bottom lip as he slightly parted them.

Giving in, Emma lightly kissed his cut and pulled away quickly. "I um should… yeah." Emma stood up, walking out of the room.


	15. We'll make our little comments

**Chapter 14: We'll make our little comments**

It was Sunday, which meant it was Emma's day off. She quickly showered and changed. Jay also got up, showering in the downstairs bathroom. Before Emma left, she asked Jay if he needed anything, and he bit his lips to keep his thoughts to himself.

Emma excused herself, telling Jay she was going out with a friend. Jay thought about who that friend could be, but decided he must not know the friend since Emma had told him she lost contact with everyone that they had both known. As the hours went by, Jay decided to go out as well. He drove to the club he had partied in countless times. As he pulled onto the street the club was located on, Jay could already see the line forming all the way down the block. Smirking, Jay parked his car and headed up the bouncer.

"Stan," Jay and Stan did their male handshake.

"Sup man, go in," Stan let Jay pass, getting huffs from the people waiting in line.

"Yo, got you a beer," One of the bartenders, Stacey told him. Thanks," Jay picked it up, giving Stacey his signature smirk. Stacey always had beer waiting for him when she spotted him.

Leaning against the counter, Jay sipped his beer, letting his eyes cast the crowds.

"Sup man, haven't seen you for a week or so," Dave said to him as they did their male handshake.

"Yeah, I've been busy," Jay answered before drinking some more of his beer.

"Well you came on the right night," Dave smirked, "I've seen handfuls of hotties tonight."

"Dave, you know I got a girl," Jay told him, hiding his smirk.

"It doesn't hurt to dance, or just look," Dave pointed in a direction of a few girls, "Check those girls out."

As Jay followed Dave's finger, Jay saw who he was talking about. He wasn't lying, the girls were hot. Finishing off his beer, Jay placed it on the counter top. Without thinking, he started walking towards two girls in particular.

Standing a little ways away from them, Jay watched as their bodies swayed to the music. Any guy who didn't get hot just watching them would be crazy. Licking his lips, Jay felt the slight swelling of his bottom lip from when Emma head butted him that morning. His eyes began to dance over the two girls as he slowly walked towards them.


	16. We'll make our little gestures

**Chapter 15: And we'll make our little gestures**

"Hey," Jay said a little loudly to be heard over the music.

The one girl stopped dancing, causing the girl behind her to stop as well. "Hi," Emma replied a little sheepishly.

"Didn't think I'd see you here," Jay told her, pulling his eyes away from her body.

"One of my friends, Erica, asked me to come with her." Emma took a gentle hold of Erica's arm to get her attention, "Jay, Erica, Erica, Jay." Emma introduced them.

Erica gave Jay a coy smile, "Cute."

"Same," Jay replied, smirking a little in her direction.

"So, I think we should get back to dancing," Erica suggested. Taking Jay by the hands, she pulled him behind her. Letting the beat of the music sink back into their minds, Emma, Erica, and Jay all began dancing. He knew Emma was feeling slightly uncomfortable, but he would give just about anything to be dancing in between the two girls.

Almost as if Erica could read his mind, she very smoothly removed herself from in between Emma and Jay. Moving behind him, Erica guided Jay closer to Emma. He was now dancing between the two girls. It was the first time in a long time Jay felt as if he was in heaven.

The feeling of Erica's hands moving up his back was incredible. The warmth from her hands emitting from her body was driving Jay's senses insane. Erica is an incredible dancer, adapting herself to Jay's body, as well as helping him move. Jay had forgotten about… everything.

Well, he had almost forgotten about everything, until he could feel Emma dancing closer to him. Apparently, Emma had let go of everything. Now, it was just her and the music. Jay's hands rested on her hips as his body moved in tune with hers. She surprised him by wrapping one of her arms around his neck.

Currently, there was practically no space between Jay and Emma, or Jay and Erica. His hot breath tickled her neck as her fingers rested on the back of his. He felt as if he was on a permanent high. The feeling Jay was feeling was one that was definitely going to last.


	17. Tell me baby, how does it feel?

** Chapter 16: Tell me baby, how does it feel?**

The feeling did last, all night. Jay, Emma, and Erica continued to dance into the next day. Emma and Jay got back to his house around two in the morning. They were both too tired to think anything more about the club.

Besides, Jay knew Emma wouldn't do anything with him, not when he technically had a girlfriend. After saying goodnight to each other, Emma went to her room, and Jay went to his. As tired as he was, Jay couldn't fall asleep. He was still on his dancing high from the girls.

Emma woke up around six that morning, still tired, but wanting to get her job out of the way. After slipping into her uniform, Emma went to see if Jay was up. He seemed to be sound asleep in his bed, so Emma very quietly began cleaning the house.

Two hours went by before Emma was able to get out of her uniform and fall back onto her bed. She tried to stay up for a little, working on her laptop, but soon found herself to be dozing off.

Jay woke up, it was around twelve Monday afternoon, and the house was silent. He didn't remember what time Jessica said she would be coming home, but he figured it wasn't going to be until late. Quietly, Jay opened up the door to Emma's bedroom.

She looked so peaceful, lying on her stomach with her laptop beside her. Jay couldn't help but to look over her body, which was barely covered in a tiny pair of girl boxers and a thin spaghetti strap tank top. The boxers hugged her curvy ass, making it look full and luscious.

Fully entering the room, Jay covered her up with the small throw blanket she had sitting on the corner of the bed. It took all of him to leave her room. It had been a really long time since Jay felt such a heavy attraction towards someone, and an extremely longer time since he last saw Emma Nelson.


	18. Unfolding pieces of it faster

** Chapter 17: Unfolding pieces of it faster**

"I'm home," Jessica announced as she entered the front door of the house.

She dropped her bags by the door and walked into the kitchen. Emma was in there, preparing Jay a snack. Smiling politely, Emma went back to setting the food on the tray. There was no way Emma was going to even pretend to be interested in how Jessica's weekend went. She was pretty sure if she asked Jessica would ignore her anyway, or go on some long tangent.

As Emma passed her, something caught her eye. Not wanting to be caught gawking, Emma continued on her way. Once she was out of the kitchen, Emma smiled to herself and shook her head. That girl is unbelievable.

"Jay," Emma knocked lightly on his office door as she peeked her head in.

He looked up, but looked back down at the paper in front of him. "Yeah, that'd be great," Jay spoke into the phone, holding his finger out, signaling Emma to stay quiet for a minute.

While Jay finished his phone call, Emma set the food on the corner of his desk, making sure she didn't make a sound.

"Thanks," Jay said to Emma as he hung up the phone.

"It's my job," Emma replied, still being polite.

Jotting something down on the piece of paper, Jay watched Emma out of the corner of his eye. "You need something?" Jay asked, turning his head to look at her.

"Um…" Emma nodded slightly, "Well, I don't really want to get in the middle of things… and I know this is childish… but after what she said to me… I think I should tell you… and I don't know when you guys…" Emma rambled, not too comfortable talking about this.

"Green, spit it out," Jay laughed lightly, not sure of what she was getting at.

"Well, Jessica is home," Emma told him.

Jay nodded, "Yeah, I heard her come in."

"She… has a… hickey… on her neck… it's light… sort of, but it's there… and she's been gone for three days or so… and I don't know when you guys… are intimate… but it just doesn't seem likely… that even if you had sex on Friday before she left… that she would still have one of her neck."

"Wait a sec," Jay said, "Did you say 'after what she said to me'?" Jay asked, staring at Emma.

She looked up to meet his eyes, "Yeah."

After everything she just said, that was what he focused on? "What did she say?" He questioned.


	19. And it's wearing me out

** Chapter 18: And it's wearing me out**

"Jay," Jessica said as she opened the door.

Quickly, Emma pretended she was still setting up the food for Jay.

"Oh, you're in here," Jessica said, clearly not trying to hide the disdain in her voice.

Emma rolled her eyes as she focused on the tray.

"I asked her to bring me something to eat," Jay told Jessica, his voice firm as he looked into her eyes. He turned to Emma, smiling slightly, knowing it would piss Jessica off, "Thank you."

"Your welcome," Emma said politely, and sent Jay a 'thank you' smile that only he could read.

It figured Jessica would start up where they had left off. Turning, Emma left the room, fighting off her urge to push Jessica as she did so. Emma may not like her, but she wasn't about to be as unprofessional as her employer is. She closed the door behind her.

It was down to Jessica and Jay in the office. Neither said a word as Jay took a big bite of the desert Emma had made him. Folding her arms across her chest, Jessica stood in one of the ultimate 'girl' positions. Hiding his smirk, Jay looked down at the papers in front of him. He wasn't going to sit there and have a staring contest, so he decided to get back to his work.

"Why is she always in here?" Jessica asked, trying to hide the fact that she was angry.

"She's not always in here." Jay replied before taking another bite of his snack.

"Well whenever I come in here, she's in here." Jessica stated, not really being able to hold back the fact that she was upset, "I don't like her in here," She said since Jay hadn't replied to her.

Jay looked up to see her and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Jessica asked, squinting her eyes at him, unmistakably pissed.

"Nothing," Jay shook his head.

"Jay, I'm serious, I don't want her in here anymore." Jessica repeated, looking at her boyfriend sternly.

"What, am I not supposed to eat anymore?" Jay retorted, "If you haven't noticed, I basically live in here." Looking at Jessica, Jay continued, "You have some fucking nerve, acting the way you do."

"But-" Jessica started, only to get cut off by Jay,

"You are the one that hired her. You are the one who has to go through maids like they are fucking paper. You can't just pick them up at the ninety-nine cent store and return them when you don't like them. Emma has done nothing wrong, and you are being… a controlling bitch. Don't ever come back in here, ranting about Emma with a damn hickey on your neck."


	20. Hardly happy at all

** Chapter 19: Hardly happy at all**

Jay went back to work as a very quiet Jessica stood stunned in the doorway. She didn't know what to do, or what to think. Jessica didn't even think it was that visible. How did he see it anyway? She knew she couldn't play it off as if Jay had given it to her because they haven't had sex in a while.

That's why she got it from someone else, because recently, Jay wasn't 'in the mood'. Her mind was almost blank, and Jay looked as if he didn't even care. That started to make Jessica mad. Jay should be acting like all other boyfriends. He should be pissed, and talking about how he's going to beat the other guy. He should be doing something, anything.

"You're not jealous, or mad?" Jessica queried, finally speaking.

Jay looked up from his work. "You want me to be jealous because you cheated on me?" Jay asked, "I've been on the other side, I know how cheating works."

"Well, you should be mad or something." Jessica told him.

"Well I'm not," Jay shrugged. He really, truly, honestly didn't care.

"You don't even like me." Jessica half stated and half asked, masking the fact that she was actually a little hurt by his words.

"Jess," Jay sighed, looking down at his desk.

Jessica walked closer to him. Leaning over his desk, she brought Jay's face up to hers. "Let's go back to how things were, like when we first moved in." Jessica suggested seductively.

Jay closed his eyes for a second, and Jessica took it as an invitation to kiss him. As soon as her lips hit his, Emma was the first thing that popped into his head, but he knew that these were not Emma's lips. Jessica kissed him harder before releasing his lips.

Standing back up straight, Jessica smiled sweetly. "I'm going up to our room," She told him and her tone became more seductive, "Join me tonight." Turning around, Jessica walked out of his office.

Sighing, Jay hit his head on his desk. He had no clue what was going on inside his brain, but part of him knew he really didn't want to sleep with Jessica. It was bothering him that he really wasn't in the mood. He's Jay Hogart; he should be in the mood. This just proved to him that he really wasn't happy with how well his life had turned out to be.


	21. I could see you ten or twelve times

** Chapter 20: I could see you ten or twelve times a day**

Slowly getting up, Jay turned off his office light. On his way up the stairs, Jay debated with himself. Did he really want to go to bed with Jessica? Shouldn't he want to go to bed with Jessica? He is her boyfriend. Boyfriend, what a loaded word. He wasn't a boyfriend, not to Jessica, not to anyone at the moment. There was a time, a time where Jay felt pretty good about being with Jessica, but now, now all Jay could see was how shallow she is.

Making sure he made no noise, Jay ascended the stairs. Instead of going to his room, Jay turned and went down the hallway. He knocked softly before entering Emma's room. Shutting the door just as quietly, Jay leaned against it. He stood there, watching Emma stretching. He took a mental note that he should say goodnight to Emma every single night. That was the beginning of Jay's dirty thoughts as he watched Emma's body contort.

"Hey, did you need something?" Emma asked as she bent backwards, stretching out her abdomen.

"I wanted to apologize for Jess… once again." Jay told her, still watching Emma stretch.

Standing up straight, Emma turned around to face Jay. "Um…" Emma began, "I don't think I'm going to be working here much longer." Emma fumbled with her hands.

Jay, who felt momentarily stunned, peered over at Emma. "What?" Jay asked, saying the only thing he could think of.

"I um…" Emma took a breath, "I don't mean to blow you off or anything, but I wasn't given the impression that this job would be like this. I've been a nanny for almost five years, before I got my degree as an advertiser, and to tell you the truth… I'd rather spend my days with crying children then your girlfriend." Emma admitted to him.

Chuckling, Jay looked down, feeling as if he was going to burst out laughing, but he didn't want to risk waking Jessica. "I know she's… a handful, but don't just quit. I really hate going through the whole new maid process. She's been through about twenty or so, and believe me, I'm not exaggerating." Jay took a step closer to Emma, "I already told her not to act like that towards you, especially when she walks into my office with a hickey on her neck."

"You said that to her?" Emma gasped, "And what did she say?" Emma was so intrigued; she pulled Jay by the arm to her bed.

They both sat down, facing each other. Emma curled her leg under her, "So, what did she say?" She persisted, in full gossip mode.

"She didn't deny it," Jay shrugged, "She said I should be jealous or something, but I'm not." Jay was playing it so cool.

Emma just stared at him. "You mean it doesn't even bother you the slightest bit that some other guy's hands were all over her?" Emma asked.

Jay could see some kind of curiously, sexy gleam in her eye, and that made him smirk. "Nope," Jay shrugged it off again.

"Wow, you really have changed." Emma noted, smiling a little at Jay.

"Guess so," He pursed his lips together, thinking about just how much he really has changed.

"Something on your mind?" Emma asked.


	22. Looking for a laugh

** Chapter 21: Looking for a laugh**

"Uh" Jay thought it over. He was never one to talk out his feelings, and he wasn't sure he wanted to start now, "No, I'm good."

"Oh, ok," Emma replied, taking her eye off of him to look at the clock.

As she did this, Jay let his eyes roam her body. Once again, Emma was in a tight spaghetti strap tank top, and this time Jay could clearly see that she did not have a bra on. The shirt dipped down, giving Jay an eyeful of her cleavage. All Jay could think about was how much Greenpeace had sure grown up since high school, and he wasn't just thinking about her body. Emma seemed more laid back, more comfortable than she was back in the day. From now on, summer was his favorite season.

"Are you going to get grief about being in here?" Emma questioned, snapping Jay out of is thoughts.

"She's in bed," Jay answered, looking up at her eyes.

"Oh," Emma shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm not going to share our sex life with you," Jay smirked, sensing Emma's unease, "Or lack there of." Jay said a little more seriously.

"Lack there of…" Emma repeated.

"Yeah, I'm just… not really in the mood… to…" Jay stated coolly, never losing his edge, even when he talked slower, although he really wasn't to keen on talking about it.

"What?" Emma asked. She smirked a bit, "Are you sick? I think you should see a doctor." Emma raised her hand up to feel Jay's forehead.

Taking her hand, Jay pulled it down, but she just put her other hand to his head, "I really need to see if you have a fever. You could be coming down with something." Emma told him, trying to hold back her laughter.

Jay held her one hand, and brought his free hand to grab her other, "Quit it, Nelson," Jay said, laughing lightly.

There bodies were suddenly closer as Jay held onto Emma's hands. Their laughter died down, and they realized just how close they were to each other. Jay's mind was only on one thing, and that was Emma. He didn't care about anything else, not Jessica, not that she was only a few rooms down, and not that she was indeed his girlfriend.

Emma, still a little like how she was in high school, was being more sensible. Her first thought was one of confusion. She felt something almost radiating off of Jay that she never thought he could possess, but then she remembered that he had a girlfriend, so this moment was to go no further.

"Jay," Emma spoke lightly, "We should probably get some sleep."

"Oh right," Jay let go of her hands and stood up, "Night," Jay quietly exited her room.


	23. Got time to wander, to waste

** Chapter 22: Got time to wander, to waste, and to whine**

Something came up for work, and Jay had to decide if he wanted to take a trip out to one of his garages. He really didn't want to go, but another part of him did. If he had to be around Jessica with Emma in the house any longer he was going to go crazy. Every time he turned around, there she was, following Emma around. Jay didn't think Emma was going to be able to keep her composure for much longer. That was it. Jay needed to get away for a bit. He needed to clear his mind. The decision wais made; Jay was leaving for a week.

"Jess," Jay called, hoping she could hear him because he really didn't feel like getting up.

"What's up babe?" Jessica swayed into the room.

"I have to go on a trip. I'll be back Friday maybe." Jay said, looking back down at his work.

"Jay," Jessica whined, along with a little stomp of her foot.

"Jessica," Jay warned, not in the mood to deal with her childish antics.

"But Jay, that's like four days," She continued whining.

"Yeah, well at least I'll actually be working." Jay retorted. Closing his eyes, Jay semi-wished he hadn't just said that. "Sorry," He halfheartedly apologized.

"Fine, whatever Jay," Jessica glared at him before leaving his office.

Pushing her out of his thoughts, Jay just gathered up his work. After he packed a bag, Jay cautiously walked towards Emma's room. Once he was sure that he was Jessica free, Jay knocked lightly.

"Yeah?" Emma asked from inside.

Jay opened the door, closing it behind him. "Hey," He nodded in her direction.

She was lying on her stomach; alternately kicking her legs behind her while she worked on her laptop. A pair of black shorts and a white tank top barely covered her body.

"You need me to do something?" Emma asked, although she kept her attention on her work.

"Uh, no," Jay pulled his eyes off her legs, instead looking at what she was looking at, "That's cool, what's it for?" He referred the design Emma was making.

"It's for a new skate shop. I got picked to design their logo," Emma smiled, telling Jay that a lot of people had wanted to be the person to get it.

"Cool," Jay nodded slightly, "I uh, came in here because I'm leaving," Jay paused as Emma turned to look at him, "I have a business trip to go on. I'll be back Friday, probably."

Emma just stared at him. "You're leaving me here with her?" She asked, getting a chuckle out of Jay.

"I'll call, check in, make sure she doesn't drive you to the point where you find yourself picking up a kitchen knife." She laughed lightly, causing Jay to laugh as well.

"Okay, well have a nice trip," Emma smiled faintly, unsure if she could stand Jessica for four straight days without Jay home to intervene.


	24. I work so much

** Chapter 23: I work so much**

Four days later, Jay was on his way back to his mansion. It was a break that Jay really did need. Of course, he was working, about eleven hour days, but it was a break nonetheless. He was hoping that both Jessica and Emma had cooled down a bit.

As he entered the house, his bag in hand, he could automatically sense the tension in the house. Staying quiet, Jay closed the door behind him and proceeded up the stairs. He didn't see anyone, and he hoped that was a good thing.

Dropping his bag in his room, Jay took a look around. Things seemed as if they were in order. Advancing down the hallway, Jay stopped at Emma's closed door. Knocking lightly, Jay opened it and peeked his head in. There was Emma, lying on her bed, her head on the corner and her arms dangling on the floor.

"What are you doing?" He asked her as he stepped into the room.

"I'm just thinking," Emma half-muttered.

"Everything okay?" Jay queried, trying to stay fully focused on her state of mind and not the fact that she had the hottest pair of booty shorts on.

Emma just shrugged, unsure of what she was going to tell him.

"Okay then," Jay paused to see if she was going to say anything or move. When Emma didn't do either of those, he continued, "I guess I'll be in my office."

"Okay, I'll make you something to eat." Emma stood up and slipped into her uniform.

"You don't have to wear that." Jay told her, but Emma just looked up, giving him this look,

"I don't want to hear Jessica's mouth.

Jay went to his office, finishing up and double checking everything. The more he looked at the numbers, the more frustrated he became. The house must have some kind of curse on it. He took out a calculator, not having enough faith in his mind right now.

Emma came in carrying a tray. Jay cleared off the edge of the desk so she could set it down. As he picked at it, Emma watched over what he was doing.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, just some number trouble." Jay answered, holding up one of the papers on his desk.

Walking behind him, Emma placed her hands on his shoulders. Jay tried to hide the fact that she had startled him. Without saying anything, Emma began giving him a massage. As her fingers nimbly worked Jay's neck muscles, Jessica entered the house.


	25. Telling you I don't need

** Chapter 24: Telling you I don't need**

Emma dropped her hands, walking back over to the side of the desk. She knew as soon as Jessica realized that she was in Jay's office, Jessica's mouth would open and never close.

Indeed, that was true. Jessica came in, automatically sending a look Emma's way. Rolling his eyes, Jay took another bite of his food. He did not want to deal with this today.

"Why are you in here?" Jessica folded her arms across her chest, standing like a typical girl.

Without trying to sound annoyed or sarcastic, Emma answered with, "I brought Jay some food." Jay looked over at Emma, a little surprised at how calm and sweet her voice sounded.

"Well he has it, now you can leave," Jessica ordered, but Emma ignored her.

She had had enough of Jessica's rich, snobby attitude. "Jay, do you need anything else?" Emma asked, keeping her voice simple and sweet.

Jay knew this was going to fuel Jessica's anger, but he said it anyway, "Yeah, if you could finish that neck massage, that'd be great."

He was right, Jessica's eyes almost popped out of her head, but Emma was still ignoring her, not even looking her way. Emma went back to massaging Jay's. When his eyes closed and he licked his bottom lip, Jessica had had enough.

"This is what you two do with each other when I'm not home?" Jessica asked, her voice rising higher.

Emma didn't answer; she just continued moving her fingers around Jay's neck muscles. "At least we aren't in bed together," Emma finally said, hiding her smirk and the sarcasm in her voice.

"You have no right to talk to me like that." Jessica glared at Emma, trying to show her authority.

"Actually, Jay is the one that signs my check, so I don't technically have to listen to you, unless he tells me to." Once again, Emma was calm, containing her composure, unlike Jessica who was ready to blow a gasket.

"Jay," Jessica was one step below screeching his name.

"Jess, I am not getting in the middle of this anymore." Jay said, not even bothering to open his eyes. Emma's hands were really relaxing him, and that brought his mind someplace else.

"I cannot believe you!" She yelled towards Jay, "I do not want her with you! What does she have anyway? She's just a minimum wage maid." Jessica's insult caused Emma to remove her hands from Jay's shoulders.

Closing her eyes, Emma mentally calmed herself down before speaking, "Excuse you, but I am an online advertiser, and am probably making more than you, especially because I don't blow my money on the latest trends and spending weekends with someone other than my boyfriend."

Emma took a breath. Her voice remained normal, only because she did not want to stoop down to Jessica's level, but she decided Jessica did deserve this, "Why don't you tell Jay, your boyfriend, what you did while he was gone. I'm sure he would love to know," This got Jay's attention. "I can see how much Jay has… matured over the years, and I'm actually surprised that he's with someone like you. Let's pretend we are back in grade school, I dare you to tell Jay what you did for those four days he was gone." Emma was still unruffled, standing up straight, watching Jessica's shocked face.

"What did you do Jess?" Jay asked, sitting up in his chair, looking at her intently.

"Jay, hun, don't listen to her, she's just making stuff up," Jessica began to ramble.

Emma just rolled her eyes, "You are pathetic." Emma said to Jessica, and then turned her attention to Jay. "I'm sorry, but I did bring this up before. I cannot work here anymore. I was never meant to be a maid, and this will be my first and last time as one."


	26. “I have to go”

** Chapter 25: "I have to go"**

Jay watched Emma as she gracefully left his office. She didn't even give Jessica a second look.

Upstairs, in her room, Emma began taking all her folded clothes out of the drawer, and putting them back in her suitcase. Unplugging her laptop from the wall, Emma placed all her computer items back in her bag. In less than thirty minutes, Emma had everything all packed up.

Just as she was rolling her suitcase to the closed bedroom door, it opened. Jay stood there, blocking her path. "Emma, don't leave," He said to her.

In that moment, Jay realized how empty the room looked without her there, and how empty the house would feel without her. Jay did not like the thought of it.

"I'm sorry Jay, but I just can't work here anymore. I've told you this, I'm not a maid, and I would rather deal with bratty kids than Jessica. Everything you need will be in your office." With that said, Emma stood on her tippy toes, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek, "I'll see you around."

Jay moved out of the way, watching Emma descend the stairs and out of his view. He couldn't move as he watched her leave.

Jessica was happy to see Emma go. She had been standing in the downstairs hallway, watching Emma as she moved around. Once Emma left the house, Jessica went into Jay's office. She had seen Emma go in there, and that just did not sit well with her.

There, on top of his work, was an envelope. Curiosity got the better of her, and Jessica picked it up. Opening it up, Jessica pulled the folded piece of paper from it, and began reading it. There was no way she was going to let Jay see this.

Folding the paper back up, Jessica put it back in the envelope, and hid it under her shirt. She walked upstairs, not seeing Jay. Quickly, Jessica moved towards her bedroom. Once she checked for Jay, Jessica opened up a drawer of the huge dresser and put the letter in it. It rested against the side, and Jessica moved her clothing to make sure it was covered. Now, Jay would never see it.


	27. And think of that

** Chapter 26: And think of that**

Jessica was acting funny, and Jay couldn't stand it. For the past week, she had been everywhere, yet doing nothing. He hadn't gotten a new maid. None of them were up to Jessica's standards. He was screaming in his mind, screaming at her, and screaming at himself.

The downstairs used to be Jay's. Jessica was hardly ever down there. Now, when Jay was in his office, Jessica would continually pop her head in. He couldn't take it anymore. He knew she was up to something, but frankly, Jay just didn't care.

As fast as he could, Jay finished up his work. With Jessica nosing around, he made sure he put everything away, and took a few mental pictures, making sure he would know if she had moved anything, because Jay knew Jessica would snoop around.

"Jess," Jay yelled up the stairs, "I'm needed at the garage, I'll be back later." He didn't wait for an answer.

Jay didn't want to have to make up a second lie, so he just grabbed his keys and left the house. Instead of going to the garage, like Jay said he was going to, Jay went to the bar, his bar. It was one of the few clubs that Jessica didn't go to, which was one of the reasons it appealed to Jay.

As soon as Stacey, the bartender, saw him walk through, she took a beer out for him. "You've been coming round here a lot." She said to him with a smirk.

Returning the smirk, Jay took a sip of the beer. That was the truth. He had been at the club more than usual.

His eyes scanned the dance floor. There were plenty of attractive girls, but his eyes landed on someone in particular. Emma. She wore low rise pants, along with a v-neck top with frayed edges. Her hair was in a messy bun, probably to get the heat off the back of her neck.

She was dancing against some guy, swaying to the music. Jay's blood was one step below boiling. The two were dancing close, too close for Jay's comfort. As the guy's hand rubbed over the inch or so of bare skin between Emma's pants, and the bottom of her shirt, Jay's fist clenched. He knew he couldn't walk over there and punch the guy, but that's what he wanted to do.

Calming himself down, Jay finished off his beer. Walking over towards them, Jay's eyes never left her body. She was alluring. "Hey," Jay said to her over the music.

Her head turned his way, and when she saw him, her face was expressionless.

"I need water," Emma told the guy she was dancing with.

Walking towards the bar, Jay followed Emma. She asked for a water bottle, resting her elbows on the counter top.

"Emma," Jay started, only to have Emma cut him off.

"Now you want to talk to me?" She asked.

Jay donned a confused expression, "What are you talking about?"

"You can't just pick and choose when you want to talk to each other. I thought you and I were becoming friends… or something, I don't know… I thought you changed, guess I was wrong." Emma shrugged.

Once again, it surprised Jay how calm she seemed. Did this girl ever get riled up anymore? "Emma, what are you talking about?" Jay asked again.

Emma only shook her head as she grabbed the water bottled that was placed in front of her.


	28. A letter to send to you

** Chapter 27: A letter to send to you**

Jay stepped out of his bathroom, his towel wrapped around his waist. It had been a while since Jay had been upstairs, but he and Jessica were slowly getting back into a semi-descent relationship.

As he starting pulling open drawers, Jay realized that he pretty much knew where nothing was. He slipped into a pair of boxers and a pair of dark denim jeans. He pulled open a few more drawers and came across a white envelope.

Curiosity struck him. Why would Jessica have an envelope mixed in with her clothes? As he opened it, he figured it was some kind of pathetic love note from one of her other 'lovers'.

He was surprised to see the word _**Criminal**_ sprawled out in half cursive and half print across the front of the envelope. Inside was a letter, which he quickly read to himself.

_Honestly, I don't really know why I'm doing this, but spending the past month or so with you has shown me a new, a better side to you. I'm sorry that I cannot work here anymore, but like I've said, I'm just not cut out to be a maid. Anyway, here's my cell phone number and the address of where I'll be living for the time being. After all these years, and the hell we put each other through back in high school, I think we've finally gotten to the 'friends' category. It's kind of ironic._

_(Insert address and phone number here)_

_Always, Greenpeace_

Jay stared at the letter. Why was this in Jessica's drawer? Did she take this from him? Jay thought and thought, remembering that night at the club, and the words Emma had shared with him. Maybe this letter was what she had been referring to. No wonder he had been so confused.

As it dawned on him that Jessica had taken the letter, Jay became angry. She was the reason Emma did not want to talk to him. She was the reason Emma had left. He neatly folded the paper back up and placed it back in the envelope. He was ready to go downstairs and question Jessica.


	29. A million hours left to think

** Chapter 28: A million hours left to think of you**

"Jessica," Jay called as he walked down the stairs.

He was trying to remain calm. His first initial reaction was to punch something, most likely a wall since Jay would never lay his hand on a woman in that way.

"Yeah?" Jessica answered. Her voice was sweet, but Jay knew now that it was just part of her nature. It just sounded sweet, but her voice wasn't actually sincere.

"Where are you?" He asked as he neared the last couple stairs.

"I'm in the kitchen." She called back, and that is where Jay went.

She was sitting at the island. Jay flicked the letter, allowing it to slide across the counter top. It landed in front of her, a little diagonally. She looked down at it, shocked that Jay had found it.

"You wanna tell me what that is?" Jay questioned, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well, I assume you already read it, so why are you asking?" Jessica retaliated, not bothering to look at Jay.

"Why don't you tell me where you got it from?" Jay suggested, waiting impatiently as Jessica moved her tongue around the inside of her mouth.

"The maid gave it to me when she left." Jessica finally said.

Jay stared intently at her for a few seconds. "You're lying," He concluded.

Jessica rolled her eyes, ready to get up.

"No, tell me, now," Jay demanded, raising his voice slightly.

"Fine, I found it in your office." The fact that Jessica waved it off as if it wasn't a big deal really set Jay off.

"And you hid it from me, why?" Jay asked, trying to contain his composure.

"I know you have some sort of thing for her." Jessica looked over at him.

He narrowed his eyes before answering, "We're friends."

Jessica scoffed.

"Why did you hide it?" Jay repeated, his voice rising again.

"I didn't want you talking to her." Once again, Jessica shrugged it off.

"I'm extremely tired of you trying to control me." Jay vented. He slammed his hands onto the counter top, making Jessica jump. "I'm done, we're done, it's over." Jay finished. "Pack your shit and get out."

Jay left the kitchen, not caring what her reaction would be. The only thing on his mind now was Emma. So what, maybe he did have a small thing for her, but they were just friends, and Jessica had no right to hide something from him. What did it matter to her anyway? Most of the time, Jessica was cheating on him anyway.

He shook his head. The thoughts of Jessica dissipated, but the ones of Emma stayed put. There had to be a way to get Emma to talk to him. Jay had to explain to her that the reason he didn't call was because of Jessica. He knew that if he had found that letter that he would have immediately put her number into his cell phone. A call probably would have been made to her that night as well, to make sure she got to her new place of residence safely, of course.


	30. Coming over here

** Chapter 29: Coming over here**

The house was quiet… too quiet. Jay sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. Part of him couldn't believe that he had actually dumped Jessica. She was the reason he bought the mansion in the first place.

"Stupid house," Jay mumbled to himself. He hated that it was so big. There was no reason for two people to live in a house with ten rooms. It is ridiculous, but it's what Jessica wanted. Jay scoffed. "Women," He rolled his eyes.

A huge part of him was relieved that Jessica was gone. Yet, Jay was kind of shocked at himself for blowing up. He didn't even let Jessica attempt to talk him out of it. Instead, Jay made sure Jessica didn't pack anything that he had bought.

It took a couple hours, but Jessica was gone. Now, Jay was sitting at his desk. His work was finished a while ago, but Jay sat at his desk anyway. Bored.

Pushing himself up, Jay left his office and headed upstairs. He changed into a pair of dark jeans and a black shirt. With his black hat on his head, Jay left his room. Grabbing his keys, Jay got into his car. It had been a couple days since Jay had gone to the club. Hopefully Emma would be there. He was told that she goes there pretty regularly. Good thing Jay kicked Jessica out over the weekend. Emma usually had off Sundays, and sometimes Saturdays.

He parked and headed into the club, only having to give Stan, the body guard, a nod of the head. Once he got to the bar, Stacey passed him a beer and went back to fulfilling orders.

"Hey, Stacey," Jay called to get her attention, "You seen that blonde girl I was with a few nights ago?"

"I think I did. She only ever asks for water." She laughed lightly, "Not too many level headed girls come in here."

"Thanks," Jay turned around. Sipping his beer, his eyes scanned over the crowd. Finally, they landed on Emma.

She is level headed. Never once has Jay seen her wear anything other than jeans. Most of the other women were wearing skirts, which may be or may not be just a little too short.

Quietly, Jay made his way towards Emma. He noticed Erin, not like he could forget her after dancing between the two of them.

"Hey Greenpeace," Jay smirked.

Emma snapped her head towards him, "Hey," She said.

"I need to talk to you." Jay told her.

Emma rolled her eyes, "I already told you--"

"I just found this." Jay pulled out the note she left him.

Looking at it, Emma's expression softened. She had thought he was just ignoring her.

"Go ahead, I'll find someone else to dance with." Erin urged Emma, giving her the 'go' look. Slowly, Emma walked with Jay.


	31. Repeat, repeat the words

** Chapter 30: Repeat, repeat the words that I know we both said**

"So…" Emma said in a light voice as she and Jay stood outside of the club, away from the loud music and people.

"I didn't know you left this." Jay told her truthfully, figuring that was the best place to start.

"Well, I put it on your desk." Emma replied, not getting how he didn't see it.

"Yeah…" Jay paused, watching Emma for a reaction, "Jess hid it from me."

Emma laughed, "Why would she do a thing like that?"

"Well, she… she's… crazy." Jay shrugged, a smirk on his lips.

Emma laughed again, "She's a paranoid one. Plus, she cheats on you." Emma pointed out.

Jay only nodded in response.

"So, she won't let us be friends?" Emma asked, feeling as if Jessica was some sick mother who dictated who Jay could talk to. Jay nodded again. "Well, won't she be mad you're here?"

"Probably," Jay smirked to himself, "But I kinda kicked her out so…"

"You did that?" Emma gasped, "What happened?" Emma went into gossip mode, waiting for Jay to tell her the full story.

"It's not that major," Jay knew that tone of hers by now, "I found it hidden in one of the dresser drawers, she said she didn't want you talking to me, I told her she can't control me, she pissed me off, and I told her we were done."

Emma sighed, but laughed lightly. She wished he would have told her what Jessica did, how she reacted, what her facial expression looked like, but Jay wasn't one for gossiping. "That means you're in that huge house by yourself." Emma said, watching Jay roll his eyes.

"I hate that house." He admitted.

Emma was a little shocked, "Why?" She had thought he bought the house and was living there because he wanted to.

"It's too big, too much. I didn't grow up like that… I like that small feel." Jay shrugged, not sure if he was making any sense.

"Yeah, me too," Emma nodded in agreement. "So, what are you going to do with your mansion?" She asked.

Jay looked around, thinking about the house, "I don't know."

"Sell it," Emma suggested. Jay looked at her. "If you don't like it, sell it and buy something you like."

Jay thought about it, "Makes sense."

"I'll help you, if you want," Emma offered.

"You will?" Jay queried, wondering why she would want to help him.

"It's what friends do," Emma shrugged, "I consider us friends."

Jay moved his tongue around his mouth, "Yeah, friends." "

If you decide you want to sell, call me," Emma told him, "Well, call me anyhow, to hang out or something." Emma gave him a small smile, "I should get back to Erin."

"Kay," Jay nodded and Emma went back towards the bar. "Friends," Jay thought.


	32. I’ll be there, if you call my name

** Chapter 31: I'll be there, if you call my name**

Jay sat in his office, the place where he was beginning to spend a lot of his time. The house was just too big, and a total waste of money. A cell phone was set in from of him, his cell phone. It had only been a couple days since Jay last saw Emma, but he wanted to talk to her, and she did tell him to call her.

Finally, Jay picked up his phone, going through his contacts, and landing on Emma's name. After a moment of hesitation, Jay pressed send. He waited a minute, listening to the rings before Emma answered.

"Hello?" She asked a little breathlessly.

Jay shook his head, kicking out the dirty thoughts. "It's Jay," He told her.

"Hey, what's up?" She asked, her tone becoming a little sweeter.

"Um, not much, you?" He queried, keeping up with the small talk.

"Just doing some yoga while the kids are napping," Emma replied.

Yoga; Jay's mind went back to all those times he watched Emma stretch out in her room. Never before had he thought yoga was something amazing.

"How many kids do you have to watch?" Jay managed to ask, once again kicking the dirty thoughts away.

"Two," Emma answered, "One and three."

"And you like being around kids?" Jay questioned. He didn't think he could deal with little kids.

"Yeah, I guess," Emma shrugged, "I mean, they can be smarter than adults, and they always tell you what's what."

Jay thought about Emma's reasoning, "That makes some sense," He agreed. "When's your next day off?" He asked.

"Sunday," Emma answered, "You wanna do something?"

"Yeah, I was thinking about looking for a new place," Jay told her.

"Really?" Emma asked, "Do you know what you want?"

"Um, not really," Jay said, "Something smaller than the mansion." He could hear Emma laugh lightly.

"Well, how about we meet at the café for some house searching?" She suggested.

"Yeah, how does eleven sound?" Jay asked.

"Sounds pretty good to me," Emma nodded in agreement.

"Okay, well then I guess I'll see you then," Jay said.

"Yep, bye," Emma said just as sweetly as when she first got on the phone.

"Bye," Jay replied.

Taking the phone away from his ear, Jay stared at the blinking numbers as the call ended. He flipped the phone shut and set it back on the desk. Staring at it for a few more seconds, Jay sighed. There was a couple mixed emotions running through him, and he needed a fix, but what?


	33. My head is in the clouds

** Chapter 32: My head is in the clouds**

Jay peered through the café's window. He spotted Emma in the lesser crowded area at a small round table. A paper was in her hand, and she held a cup of coffee to her to her lips. Smirking, Jay checked her over. Her legs were crossed at the ankles, and bare, from what Jay could see.

"God, I love summer," Jay thought as he pushed open the door to the establishment.

As he got closer to the table, Jay could make out the sea blue paid shorts Emma was wearing. His eyes traveled up her body, to her charcoal colored fade away glitter tank top. The neckline was just low enough to make a guy curious.

"Hey," Jay said, taking the seat across from her.

Emma looked up, a small smile on her face, "Hey, I would have ordered you some coffee, but I got here early and didn't want it to get cold."

Jay gave her a smile/smirk, only something Jay could pull off. Inside, part of him felt almost giddy. She had thought about him. Motioning for a waiter, Jay ordered himself a coffee.

"So, do you have anything in mind?" Emma asked, her eyes on the paper.

"Huh?" Jay looked up to see her eyes now on him.

"For your new place, you know, how many bedrooms, stuff like that," Emma explained.

Jay shook his head, "Oh, right," He paused, "Um, I do a lot of work from home, so I'll need an office," He paused again, thinking intently, "Oh, and a weight room."

Emma laughed lightly, "Of course," She nodded her head and brought her coffee to her lips.

The waiter placed his down beside him. "Thank you," Jay said to him before the waiter walked off.

"Okay, so you need at least three rooms," Emma stated, focusing back on the paper. She looked up, causing Jay to snap out of his thoughts, "Come sit by me so you can read too," She told him.

Jay didn't think about it, he got up, bringing his chair over to Emma. Sitting back down, Jay gulped down some coffee, and looked at the paper. He brought his arm up, resting it on the table, and held one end of the paper, to help him focus on it.

"What about this?" Emma put her arm over Jay's, pointing to a classified.

"No harm in checking it out," Jay shrugged.

Emma picked up a pen, circling it a couple times.

They spent almost an hour reading through a couple different real estate papers, Emma's arm still over Jay's. There were several ads circled, but Jay wasn't sure if they were what he wanted, mostly because he didn't know what he wanted.

"Okay," Emma broke off a piece of her chocolate chip muffin, "So I guess you'll just have to take a look around," Emma told him and popped the piece of muffin into her mouth.

"Yeah, I'm not sure what I want yet, so…" Jay trailed off.

"There's no reason to rush into it, you should make sure you like what you buy," Emma pointed out.

Nodding in agreement, Jay looked at her, "You willing to go with me?" He asked.

Emma thought for a moment, "I'll call you when I don't have to watch the kids," Emma replied.

"Cool," Jay sat back in his chair, letting his arm rest on the back of Emma's. He watched her put another piece of the muffin into her mouth, and dirty thoughts filled his mind. There were some habits that just couldn't be broken.


	34. You send a little smile my way

** Chapter 33: You send a little smile my way**

"Why does she do this to me?" Jay asked himself as he watched Emma walk out of the house she was currently living at.

She was dressed in a pair of bright plaid shorts with a short sleeve white button blouse. His eyes watched her legs as Emma walked down the short concrete path. Opening up the door, Emma got into the passenger seat, and shut the door.

"Hey," Emma gave him a small smile as she tucked her phone into her purse.

"Hey," Jay replied, pulling out into the street.

"So, how many houses do you want to look at today?" She asked him, shifting in her seat slightly so she could get a better look at him.

"Um, however many we can, I called the realtors and set up some appointments," Jay shrugged.

Emma just nodded. "How far away is the first place?" She queried, turning her gaze out the front window.

"Twenty minutes or so," Jay told her, glancing at her legs.

Jay pulled up to the first house. It was descent looking, and not in too bad of a neighborhood, but Jay thought it was missing something.

"Not bad," Emma said as she exited the car.

Jay looked it over, the front yard, trying to get a feel for it, when a woman approached them.

"Hello, I'm Amy Gares, you must be Jay," She held out her hand, which Jay shook.

Amy turned to Emma, "I'm Emma," And Emma shook her hand as well.

"Okay, so let me give you the tour," Amy was all smiles as she led them into the house.

Amy went on, explaining both up and downsides to the house. Jay looked around, trying to pay attention to everything the realtor was saying, but his mind was elsewhere. Emma took over, asking questions, and making comments. It was like that for the next four houses they look at, along with a loft and a couple other apartments. Jay couldn't figure out what was missing from them.

"You didn't really like any of them?" Emma asked as they sat at a local diner. She was eating a Caesar salad and looking at the papers the realtors had given them to mull over.

"Not really," Jay replied, taking a bite of his food. He chewed slowly, watching Emma put the fork to her mouth, and take the lettuce off. "Sorry, this was pretty much a waste of a day," Jay apologized.

Emma looked at him, giving him a small smile, "Don't worry about it," She took another bite of her salad. "Maybe its New York," Emma stated.

Jay looked at her, donning a confused look, "Maybe what's New York?" He asked.

"You said something is missing, that nothing feels right, so maybe it's New York," Emma went on to explain, "Maybe you should look at houses in another state."

Jay took in Emma's words. She could be right, and it wouldn't hurt to think about it. "Yeah, maybe," Jay shrugged as his eyes found themselves focused on the top two undone buttons of Emma's blouse.

He knew if Emma caught him staring she would probably be pissed, but she was still looking over pictures of the houses. Lifting her head up, Jay thought Emma could read his mind. She sent him a little smile, and ate another forkful of her salad.


	35. I’m stripped and vital

** Chapter 34: I'm stripped and vital**

Jay packed up a duffel bag for a minimum three day trip to New Jersey. Another garage was ready to open, and Jay being the man in charge, he had to be there. Jay hardly admitted it, but he liked seeing the progress. Business was doing great, and in honest truth, Jay couldn't bee happier. Never in his life did he think he could do something like this. The downside to this trip, another thing that Jay wouldn't admit to, was that he was actually going to miss Emma. They had barely gone two days without calling each other, but every time Emma said something about them being friends, Jay kinda got this twitchy feeling. He pushed it away, solely focusing on getting the newest shop ready for business. That was his job, after all.

Taking in his sights on the way to the new garage, Jay was actually pretty impressed. Despite the rumors, it was descent looking. It didn't look like some trash heap, and the girls were hot. Jay decided he like it in Monmouth County. He took his eyes off some girls to drive into the garage's parking lot. Parking near the back, Jay got out, just checking over the outside of the garage. It looked like every other garage. Pleased, Jay walked towards the shop, entering through the open garage door. Some guys were putting away inventory, others were organizing the toolboxes, and a couple were already working on cars. Jay looked around some more, letting his eyes scan over every inch of his newest establishment.

"May I help you?" A voice asked.

Jay turned around to face him, "Nope, I'm Jay," Jay took the guy's hand to shake.

"Oh, right, I'm Derrick, the manager," Derrick introduced himself.

Jay nodded, "So, business looks like it's going to do fine," Jay commented.

"Yeah, there's not too many shops around here, so people are going to have to come here," Derrick replied, "You know, next door is for sale," Derrick walked with Jay back outside.

"A carwash," Jay said.

"Yeah, customers would come to fix their car, and get a wash, it kinda goes hand in hand, dontcha think?" Derrick looked at Jay, who was still staring at the carwash.

"Sounds good," Jay shrugged, "I'm gonna check it out," Jay walked away from Derrick. As he got to the carwash, he pulled out his phone, calling the number on the for sale sign.

A half hour later, once Jay had called the owner, made plans, and was almost the official owner of the carwash; he called Derrick over, along with a couple other hands. Until the owner showed up, Jay was allowed to start cleaning up the area. Wanting to make sure all the parts worked, Jay began fiddling with the machinery. "Damnit," He muttered as the water exploded onto his shirt. Pulling the wet cloth over his head, Jay rung it out, and hung it from his back pocket. He fixed water pressure, and began tinkering around with the machine. A couple girls, probably about eighteen, walking down the street slowed down to stare at Jay. He made brief eye contact with them as they looked over his upper body. Smirking, Jay got back to work.


	36. I want a house on the beach

** Chapter 35: I want a house on the beach**

"You think you could get away?" Jay spoke into the phone. He took an extra day to stay in Jersey and check out the area.

"What, like right this minute?" Emma asked.

Jay could hear her chuckle, as well as the confusion in her voice.

"Well, I know you can't get away right this minute," Jay rolled his eyes, although he was smiling, "But, if you give your boss or whatever some advance notice, can't you work something out so you can take a couple days off?" Jay queried.

Drumming the fingers of his free hand on his leg, Jay leaned back on the couch in the hotel room he was currently staying at.

"You kind of sound… excited," Emma furrowed her brow, "What's got you so happy?"

She was fully curious. Emma had never seen, nor heard, Jay like this. Part of her wished she could see him now, to see how he looked when he sounded happy.

"Stop avoiding my questions Greenpeace," Jay ordered in a joking manner.

"Okay, jeez," Emma laughed lightly, "I'll ask, okay?"

"Cool," Jay said coolly.

Emma shook her head slightly. He was the one person she knew that was able to sound laidback, yet have a hint of excitement in them.

"Now, answer my questions," Emma demanded in the same joking tone Jay had just previously had, "Are you still in Jersey?"

"Yeah, still here…" Jay paused, "And I love it."

"Really?" Emma inquired, "Tell me about it," Emma settled into her current bed. Lying on her stomach, Emma held the phone between her cheek and her shoulder, and was working on her laptop.

"It's got this… I don't know… it's like New York, but a little quieter," Jay tried to find the right words, "It's got the business of the city, but it still feels like a small town," He concluded.

Emma nodded absent mindedly, but remembered she was on the phone, "Sounds nice," She paused to focus on the design she was working on, "You're near Seaside, right?" She asked.

Jay too, nodded, "Yeah, it's probably about a half hour away, an hour tops," Jay figured.

"I've been there once with Erin. They have the best food," Emma recalled.

"Well, if you can get away from work, we'll walk the boardwalk or something," Jay shrugged as he sat up, and put his elbows on his knees.

"You want me to go to Jersey?" Emma questioned.

"Uh, yeah, that would be the whole point of me asking if you could get away from work for a couple days," Jay answered with a 'duh' tone.

"Right, right," Emma's voice trailed off as she added some minute details to the design she was making.

"You're working on something," Jay told her.

"How'd you know that?" Emma asked, blinking in surprise, yet going right back to the design.

"You sound concentrated," Jay replied, "You want me to call you later or something?" He asked.

"No, no," Emma paused as she fixed some colors, "I can do two things at once."

Jay rolled his eyes and chuckled lightly, "Sure."

"So, you're thinking about moving out to Jersey?" Emma asked, wanting to prove to Jay that she could work and talk to him.

"Yeah, I was thinking about a house near the beach."


	37. Take a second look

** Chapter 36: Take a second look**

"Jay," Emma said sternly.

"Emma," Jay mimicked.

"You have to let me pay for something," She argued, but Jay just shook his head. "You bought everything during the ride here, you wouldn't let me drive, and you won't let me pay for a room, so either let me pay, or ask for something smaller," Emma folded her arms across her chest and stared straight out the windshield.

Jay chuckled to himself at how stubborn she is. He knew she wouldn't get out of the car unless he let her pay for something. Rolling his eyes, Jay got out and headed inside to the hotel, while Emma stayed in the car.

"May I help you?" The concierge asked.

"Yes, I have a reservation under Hogart, but I was wondering if you had a single available," Jay kept his voice polite and waited patiently while the guy behind the desk clicked away with the mouse.

"Yes, we do," Turning around, he grabbed the key off the rack and handed it to Jay.

"Thank you," Jay tipped the concierge and headed back outside. "I got a single, now get your obstinate ass out of the car," Jay said to Emma.

They walked side by side as they headed to their room. Opening the door, Jay went in first. The single was a lot smaller than the suite he had booked in the first place. He dropped his bag off to the side, kicked off his sneakers, and fell face first into the kind sized bed.

Emma laughed to herself as she rolled her bag towards the dresser. It may be a single, but the hotel room was huge. As Emma turned, the starry night sky caught her eye. Quietly, Emma walked over towards the balcony and slid open the glass door. The sight was beautiful, especially with so many stars out.

Walking back inside, Emma slid the door closed. Glancing at Jay, who had yet to move, Emma realized that sleep sounded pretty good. She walked to her suitcase, pulling out a pajama tank top that had a pink, black, and white flannel pattern. Unbuttoning her jeans, Emma slowly wiggled out of them, revealing black and pink boy shorts.

She must have figured that Jay was sleeping, but he was just laying there. The sound of the balcony door closing had him open his eyes. The room was kind of dark, but he could see Emma changing out of her clothes. Her hands were at the hem of her t-shirt, and she slowly pulled it up, exposing a rigid white striped bra.

It was wrong to spy on her, especially when Emma thought Jay was sleeping, but he couldn't pull his eyes off her. Emma pulled her top over her head and adjusted the shirt. Closing his eyes as Emma turned around; Jay heard her approach the bed.

She pulled the covers down, "Jay get up," She said, "Jay," Emma shook him a little, "If you don't get up, I will push you off the bed," She told him. Jay just groaned in response. "Please Jay, I want more of the blanket," Emma made her voice a little whiny, hoping it would make Jay get up.

Pushing himself up, Jay stood, allowing Emma to fix the blanket to her liking. As she did so, Jay took off his shirt. He debated whether or not he should just sleep in his boxers, but as he looked at the girl he would be sharing the bed with, Jay decided it would be best to put on a pair of shorts.


	38. This is where I wanna be

** Chapter 37: This is where I wanna be**

Emma was up and dressed in a pair of deep olive wallpaper striped shorts with a white scoop neck short sleeved shirt, and was eating breakfast. It was kind of early, so she figured she would let Jay sleep for a while longer, but now Emma was starting to get impatient. Smiling wickedly, Emma put down her bagel and took a sip of her orange juice.

Carefully, Emma got up and walked over towards the bed. Jay was lying on his back with the blanket half on him and half off him. Counting to three in her head, Emma jumped onto the bed, landing on top of Jay, with her legs on either side of his hips.

Groaning, Jay pulled the pillow over his head and turned over, bring Emma with him. He was now lying on his side, with Emma's legs still around his hips. Shifting her bottom leg that Jay was laying on, Emma moved it up so his hip bone wasn't crushing her. Pulling the pillow away from his face, Emma swatted him with it twice, and went in for a third time when Jay wouldn't get up.

"You know," Jay said, with his eyes still closed, "I could get used to this," And a smirk appeared on his lips.

Emma held in her urge to laugh, "Pervert," She playfully shoved him, "Now, get up, you're crushing my leg," Emma lied.

Catching Emma off guard, Jay wrapped his arms around her and rolled them over so he was on top, pinning her into the mattress. "Why is it that you felt the need to wake me up?" He asked as he hovered over her.

"I've been up forever, and I'm bored," Emma pouted, which drove Jay crazy.

"Okay, okay, we'll go, just let me take a shower," Jay had to get off her, and kept his back to her.

"Good, hurry up," Emma yelled to him as he closed the bathroom door.

He came out twenty minutes later, dressed and ready to go.

"You want something to eat?" She asked, pointing to the breakfast cart. He picked up her half eaten bagel and took a bite. "Hey, that was mine," Emma protested.

Jay chugged the rest of her orange juice and shrugged, "I thought you wanted to get going," Jay replied, walking towards the door.

Emma gave him a playful shove and headed out first.

They spent the next couple hours looking at houses. They pulled up to the third one and got out of the car.

"Wow," Emma said as she stared at the house, "It's beautiful."

Jay looked at it. It was by far the best house they had seen, but he wouldn't go as to say it was beautiful. "It's a house, houses aren't beautiful," Jay told her.

"Do we have to wait for the realtor?" Emma asked, ignoring Jay's jab at her. She headed towards the house, taking it in.

"Nope, I got the key, she told me to take a look, and bring the key back to her," Jay followed Emma, opening up the front door.

"Must be a friendly neighborhood," Emma figured and followed Jay inside. "This house is perfect," Emma said as they looked around, "Well, the kitchen's kinda small, and there's no garage, but other than that, this house is perfect. "It doesn't look this big from the outside," She went on.

Jay watched her look around, and go on about how perfect it is. He agreed, especially because Emma liked it. "This, this is perfect," Emma walked out onto the closed-in porch on the second level.

"Yeah, I like it too," Jay finally spoke. He locked up the doors as they headed out, and they stood on the wrap around porch.

"So," Emma urged, wanting to know if he was going to put an offer on any of the houses they had looked at today.

"So," Jay mimicked as he smirked, "This one," He said, knowing what Emma wanted to know. "This is where I wanna be," Jay told her.


	39. I get so jealous

**Chapter 38: I get so jealous**

"Gosh, I wish I could stay here longer," Emma confessed as she and Jay walked along the pretty crowded boardwalk.

"It is kind of…" Jay trailed off, unable to find a masculine way to describe it, and a pretty attractive brunette was walking past him.

"I can tell you're gonna like it here," Emma smirked, bumping into his side as they walked.

"I haven't changed everything about me," Jay admitted, unable to stop himself from glancing at the women around him.

"Please," Emma rolled her eyes, "No guy can't not check out a chick."

Jay looked down at her, "Yes we can," Jay replied, only causing Emma to roll her eyes again, "I can not look at a girl if I wanted to."

"Sure you could," Emma tried to hide her smirk, but Jay knew she didn't believe him.

Without warning, Jay picked Emma up and threw her over his shoulder.

Emma laughed as she held onto the back of Jay's shirt. "Jay, put me down!" She ordered.

"Not a chance," He replied, raising his arm to tickle her.

As he went to stop, his hand grazed her but, down the back of her thigh. He tried to just shake it off, but he wondered if Emma thought he had just done that on purpose. There was no time to think about it. Emma had found a ticklish spot near his hip bones. Her fingers were moving quickly, getting a short laugh out of Jay.

Surprised, Jay ended up tossing Emma off his shoulder. She tumbled backwards, but two strong arms caught her. Turning around, Emma looked at the person who caught her and was momentarily stunned. A gorgeous guy had stopped her from falling.

"You okay?" He asked.

In response, Emma nodded her head. It was almost as if she had forgotten how to talk.

The guy glanced in Jay's direction, taking note of the look on his face. Slowly, he removed his hands off of her body, "Good thing," He flashed her a smile and continued walking with his small group of friends.

Jay had folded his arms across his chest.

Emma looked at him, regaining her composure. "I cannot believe you dropped me," Emma hid her smirk, although her tone was still playful.

"Well, if you hadn't tickled me, I wouldn't have dropped you," Jay responded in an un-playful way.

"Sorry, I won't tickle you anymore," Emma said, thrown off by how serious he sounded, "Let's just go back to the hotel; we have to leave early tomorrow." She began walking back and Jay sighed.

He didn't mean for the words to come out that way, but he just felt so jealous, seeing the way Emma had been staring at that guy.


	40. You stop in and say hi

** Chapter 39: You stop in and say hi**

It was a little awkward after that. Jay couldn't figure out why that had made him so jealous. Even days later, that night still bothered him. Now, he was back in his New York mansion, packing up his belongings. It felt weird, almost as if something was missing.

Nevertheless, Jay was up and down the stairs, carrying boxes down. He never realized how much he actually owned, but then again, Jessica had gone on a shopping spree when Jay first bought the mansion. As he carried down one of the nightstands from his bedroom, the doorbell rang.

"It's open," Jay yelled and lowered his voice, "I think." He only focused on carry the dresser down the rest of the stairs and didn't bother to look at the person who was now entering his house. "So many damn stairs," Jay muttered as he neared the bottom.

"I think there's so many stairs because the house is so big," Emma told him, "Must make it fancy."

"Oh Greenpeace, what're you doing here?" He looked at her after setting the nightstand down.

"Just stopped by, should I have called first?" Emma questioned.

Jay just shook his head, "Nah," He then picked up the nightstand again and moved it against the wall.

"Are you keeping all this stuff?" She queried, out of pure curiosity.

"Uh," Jay rubbed his hand along the back of his neck, just out of reflex, "I don't really like it, so probably not."

"Yeah, I don't like it either," Emma commented, "I'm more fond of black wood."

Jay nodded, "I'm pretty much fond of anything that's black."

"You know, this stuff is kinda prissy, I'm surprised you have it," Emma said to him, a small smirk forming on her lips.

"Don't you dare think about cranking out any remarks," Jay warned her with a playful glare.

Emma held her hands out in front of her as if Jay were a cop, "Oh, I was doing no such thing," She lied, her smirk still evident.

Jay rolled his eyes and headed into the kitchen. "You want anything?" Jay asked, "If there is anything."

Emma shook her head, "I'm good. So, when are you moving?" She sat down on one of the stools as Jay leaned against the counter, beer in hand.

"That's my decision. The paperwork's all done, and I put down the down payment," Jay replied and took a sip.

"I hear it's pretty expensive down there," She stated.

"It is, but this house is only two thousand a month, that's pretty good for that area," Jay told her and took another sip.

"That is good," Emma agreed, "So, if you aren't keeping that furniture, let me know."

"Why, you want it?" Jay asked.

"No way," Emma mad an 'ew' face, "Erin is an interior designer, so I'm sure her clients would buy this crap."

Jay chuckled, "If someone wants to buy it off me, it's theirs." Jay took another sip and checked out Emma out of the corner of his eye. He only wished the island wasn't blocking her legs.

"Shoot," Emma said as she glanced at the clock, "I have to get back, but if you want my help, just call, kay?" Emma was now standing next to him.

Nodding in response, Jay took the time to secretly look Emma over.

"Cool, later," Emma said, gently squeezing Jay's arm before leaving.


	41. I can tell you're sad

** Chapter 40: I can tell you're sad even though you say you're not**

"What's wrong with you?" Jay asked Emma as he taped closed a box.

Shrugging, Emma continued packing up the breakables. Jay had started packing up the things that were glass, but was horrible at doing so. If Emma didn't take over, Jay would have gotten to his new house with a box of broken glass.

He watched her as Emma packed the box tightly. Her fingers held the sharpie delicately as she wrote the word FRAGILE on it. After placing the cap back onto the marker, Emma just looked at the box. Sighing, Jay picked up the box and walked it to the foyer. When he got back into the kitchen, Emma was still staring at the box.

"Come on, tell me what's wrong," He coaxed.

Emma shook her head and picked up the box she had just filled up. She put it down next to the rest of the boxes from the kitchen in the foyer.

"Greenpeace," Jay said, knowing her old nickname would make her come around.

Emma turned around to see him leaning in the doorway. "It's just weird," Emma told him.

Wearing a confused expression, Jay waited for Emma to go on.

"This, you know, after all these years," Emma continued, yet still speaking cryptically.

There was something brewing inside of her, and Emma was having trouble putting a name to it.

Jay nodded in agreement, "Well, we are weird, so it fits," He shrugged, but noticed Emma was still looking a little down. Opening his mouth, Jay was going to say something to her, but decided not to.

"Let's finish up the kitchen," Emma said, walking past Jay.

The mansion was practically empty. Jay was hoping to get the last of his stuff to his new house tomorrow.

"Thanks for helping," Jay said to Emma.

She smiled softly in return and continued packing up kitchen items. Jay leaned on the island on his elbows and traced small circles on the surface. Something was tugging at him, but Jay didn't want to say anything.

Emma looked up at him, smirking slightly, "You gonna help me pack up your stuff?" She asked playfully.

Jay smirked and met her gaze, "Nah, I figured you got it pretty much covered."

Emma put down the glass in her hand and started walking out of the kitchen. She wasn't really going to leave, but she hid her smile well.

"Nelson," Jay called, reaching out to grab her arm. He pulled her to him and placed a hand on her waist. Steering her back to her previous spot, Jay spoke, "Please finish helping me?" He queried.

Emma finally let out a little chuckle.

"You little," Jay paused, "You weren't going to leave."

"Nope," Emma confirmed, smirking at him.


	42. I’ve got a burning passion

** Chapter 41: I've got a burning passion inside me**

"Gosh, I cannot get over how perfect this house is," Emma stated as she started unpacking another box, "It's not even set up yet and it already feels homey," She continued.

Emma had been talking nonstop about the house since they got there. In all honesty, Jay wasn't listening. His eyes were focused on the dark denim sailor shorts Emma was wearing. At first, he was just curious why the shorts had four buttons going down each leg when they did nothing. Then, Jay realized they gave Emma's butt the perfect shape. Plus, the dark color looked great against Emma's long legs. He was in heaven, especially since it was a lot hotter in Ocean Grove then it was in New York. After unloading a couple boxes, Emma took off her tee to reveal a self bra white cami. Jay's eyes were permanently glued to Emma.

"For the size of this kitchen, there sure is a lot of cabinet space," Emma commented.

"Uh-huh," Jay replied half heartedly. Her back was to him and he couldn't help but to gaze at her legs. "Are you even doing anything?" Emma asked, but she kept putting the glasses into the cupboard, "I'm the one whose supposed to helping you," Emma reminded him.

"Oh you are," Jay said in a low voice.

"Did you say something?" Emma turned her head to face Jay.

"Nope," Jay said, trying to hide his smirk.

She squinted her eyes at him, trying to read his mind, but gave up and turned back towards the cabinet. "You are so lucky that you found this house," Emma told him.

"You talk a lot," Jay spoke up.

"Are you telling me that I'm annoying you?" Emma asked, turning around and leaning with her back against the counter.

"No," Jay took a step towards her, "Just stating the obvious."

"You do know that I agreed to help you move in because you hired me to advertise your garages," Emma pointed out.

Smirking, Jay now stood in front of her, "Is that the only reason?"

Emma had to look up to see his eyes. He looked at her, moving cautiously, just in case she might decide to slap him across the face, but Jay thought that was unlikely. He had her. For the first time all day, Emma was at a lost for words, mostly because she was lost in those blue eyes. Never once did he take his eyes off of hers, and in turn, Emma was afraid to look elsewhere. It was as if Jay had this sudden control over her.

Slowly, Jay lowered his mouth to hers; capturing her lips in the most passionate kiss Emma could ever remember having. Her hand moved to the bottom of his cheek, delicately keeping his lips on hers. Jay took this as a sign. His hands went to her waist, pulling her closer to him. Emma obeyed, moving both of her arms around his neck. Once her fingers began playing with his hair, Jay moved his lips to her jaw line, kissing down her neck.

In response, Emma tilted her head, giving Jay more access to her skin. Jay moved his fingers under her cami, caressing her sides, and moving his hands to her bare back. A soft moan escaped her lips, although Emma had tried to suppress it. The warmth of his hand sent chills up her spine. Moving his lips back to hers, Jay let his hands slide down, over her butt, and lifted her up, placing her on the counter's edge.

Emma kissed him fiercely, obliging to everything Jay was doing. As Jay kissed her back, he slowly moved his fingers down her legs, taking off her flats, and letting them drop to the floor. His hands worked their way back up, ascending in pressure as they reached the hem of her shorts. In reply, Emma leaned back, allowing Jay the access he needed to unzip her shorts.

Her head was spinning. His head was spinning. Once Jay had unzipped her shorts, while looking in her eyes the entire time, Emma put her lips back on his. She felt hungry for his kiss. Emma couldn't even remember the last time she felt this hungry. She never needed anything, but she needed this, she needed him. Jay has complete control, and Emma is allowing him to have it.

Putting her hands on the counter, Emma lifted herself up a bit so Jay could take off her shorts. Once they were off, Jay put his lips back on Emma's, kissing her hungrily. Emma was too into it to realize that she was now sitting on Jay's kitchen counter in a thong. Tugging Jay's shirt up, the two broke the kiss to take it off. Jay then worked his hands under Emma's cami while their lips locked. Pulling the shirt of her head, Jay took a moment to stare at Emma's almost fully naked body.

His hands immediately found her breasts, kneading them softly as his thumbs flicked across her nipples. A soft moan escaped Emma's mouth as Jay lowered his lips to her breast, sucking and nipping at her nipple. He was getting harder and harder by the second, and didn't know how much longer he could keep up this slow pace.

As Jay put his lips back on Emma's, her hands went to his pants, furiously trying to unbutton them with all her attention on his kiss. Jay helped her, unzipping his pants and pushing them down, along with his boxers. Before his pants fell too far, Jay grabbed them quickly, pulling out his wallet to get a condom.

The kiss broke as Jay unwrapped the foil package and slid it onto his cock. Staring, almost in amazement, Emma watched as Jay rolled the condom on. His size was definitely impressive, and Emma wasn't sure if she could handle him. Sure, she had had sex before, but it had been a while.

Jay looked up, meeting Emma's eyes. Their lips found each other's immediately as Jay moved his hands down her body. Peeling off her thong, Jay touched Emma's clit, making her gasp.

"God, your wet for me," Jay whispered huskily, a smirk in his voice.

He brought her to the edge of the counter, pushing his cock into her. Emma clenched her teeth as she felt Jay fill her up completely. She gripped his biceps, holding him to her so he would give her a moment to adjust.

"Oh god," Emma breathed out once Jay began moving. "Uh, uh, uh," She moaned, causing Jay to increase his pace.

"Fuck," Jay spoke through slightly clenched teeth in a breathy voice as he gripped Emma's hips. "You're so tight."

Jay increased his pace some more, moving faster and harder, unable to control himself. Her vaginal muscles were squeezing his cock, and Jay wanted to make sure Emma got hers too. He watched as his cock disappeared inside of her, came back out, and pushed back in. His eyes then traveled up, looking at Emma's pert breasts jiggling slightly from Jay rocking her body.

"Oh Jay," Emma moaned softly, bitting down on his neck gently. "Jay, oh, uh, uh, Jay."

"Emma," Jay breathed as they reached their climax


	43. The whole time that you're talking

** Chapter 42: The whole time that you're talking**

"Jay," Emma murmured softly.

He smirked as his lips continued to massage her neck. His hands were on the counter, trapping her, but Emma didn't want to leave. She was, however, starting to feel a little self-conscious about being naked in front of him. She noticed that Jay was still confident in every way. He stood, naked before her, and it didn't even seem to faze him. Her eyes involuntarily closed as his lips worked over her collarbone.

After a few seconds, Jay pulled his lips away from her neck to place them on her lips. As Emma kissed back, Jay moved his hands to her body, rubbing her back, and resting them on her waist. They broke apart for air. Emma kept her hand on his cheek, with her eyes closed as she took in shallow breaths. Slowly, Emma removed her hand from his cheek, causing Jay to open his eyes.

"Oh my god," Emma said suddenly, surprising Jay.

She picked up her cami that was lying inside out beside her. Frantically, Emma turned it right side in and put it back on. "Oh my god," She repeated, this time in a less shocked voice.

She pushed Jay back a bit so she could jump down off the counter. Quickly, Emma slipped back into her clothes. Jay followed suit, wondering why Emma was so frenetic. The realization of what she had just done had finally hit her.

Emma was very aware of what was happening while it was happening, but now that the passion was over, her brain was arguing with her. Jay watched as Emma began pacing, looking deep in thought. He wanted to say something to her, or at least ask her what was going on, but as he opened his mouth, Emma began ranting.

"We just… on the counter… together… oh god… and it…" Emma shook her head, apprehending that she almost said how good it was out loud, "We aren't even… together… and new house… oh god…" She paused again, and Jay thought he was going to be able to get a word in, but alas, Emma began talking again, "What are we going to do? I… and you… here…" Emma shook her head again.

Jay was lost. She wasn't speaking in complete sentence, and Jay thought that she might as well be speaking Chinese. She started speaking incoherently again, and Jay walked towards her. Half of him wanted to shut her up, and the other half wanted to get a word in. Grabbing her to make her stand still, Jay kissed her. Almost instantly, Emma melted, kissing him back.

Letting the kiss linger, Jay spoke in a hushed tone, "Stay with me."


	44. You’ll get what you ask for

** Chapter 43: You'll get what you ask for**

"Stay… with… you…" Emma repeated slowly, thinking she must have heard him wrong.

"Stay with me," Jay reiterated, looking her straight in the eyes.

Blinking, Emma thought Jay would come to his senses, but when she opened her eyes, Jay was still staring at her. "But, we… you… I…" Emma felt as if she was tongue tied. Her brain was incapable of forming complete sentences while she was staring into the ocean blue of Jay's eyes.

"We only christened the kitchen, and there are many other rooms in the house," Jay told her, "Stay."

Emma knew that tone, and if she so happened to agree to 'christen the rest of the rooms' then Jay was definitely for it, but if she wasn't up for having sex in every room of the house, then the comment would be just a joke. A smile crept onto her lips as she thought about living under the same roof as Jay… again.

"I can't," Emma said, beginning to frown.

"Yes you can," Jay insisted, but Emma just shook her head.

"Jay, I can't," She repeated.

"Why can't you?" He asked, staring her down.

She desperately wished he would take those blue eyes off her so she could think straight. "I have to get back to work," She replied.

A smirk formulated on Jay's lips as he heard her reason. Emma couldn't stay because of her job, not because she didn't want to. "You don't need that job," He reminded her. Emma made good money; there was no need to be a nanny.

"Jay, I can't just call them and quit, that's rude and unprofessional," She paused as she thought about something, "And, you do realize what you're asking me, right?" Emma wasn't sure Jay was sure of what he was getting himself into.

"I'm asking you to stay with me," Jay told her.

Emma shook her head and took a step back from him, "I can't just stay here because you want me here. I need to know what this is."

"You're going to make me say it, aren't you Greenpeace?" Jay looked at her as she began to smirk. He sighed, over exaggerating loudly, "I like you… happy Nelson?" He quipped.

Nodding, Emma tried to hide her smirk. She didn't want Jay to think this was a joke.

"Good," He smirked and pulled her to him. His lips met hers, and within the second, Emma had her arms wrapped around his neck. Jay's hands slithered down her body, coming to a rest on her lower back. Pulling back for air, Emma let out a faint squeaky sound as Jay tickled her neck with his teeth.

"Jay," Emma began, having to pause as he sucked just above her collarbone, "Jay, you can't leave a mark."

He stopped and looked at her, "Why not?"

"Jay, I work with kids," She reminded him.

Chuckling, Jay pictured the toddlers asking Emma how she got a bruise on her neck.

"I should head back, it's a long drive," Emma said softly. Pouting, Jay looked away from her. Emma kissed him, "Don't be a baby," She kissed him again.

"You're going to quit, right?" Jay queried. Emma nodded slowly, "Yeah, I'll tell them I'm moving, and stay long enough for them to find someone." Jay huffed. He didn't want to wait. He wanted Emma now. She kissed him one more time and made her way out of the house.


	45. How can you be mad?

**Chapter 44: How can you be mad, we just got started?**

Jay sighed loudly as he sat back in his black leather office chair, drumming his fingers against the cherry finished wood desk. He was bored and could not focus on the little bit of work he had left. In truth, Jay was a little annoyed.

It had been nearly a week, and Emma was still in New York. She was all he could think about and it was beginning to get him frustrated. Actually, Jay had been frustrated. He didn't understand why it was taking so long to get another nanny. Every day, when Jay was in the kitchen, he would stare at the counter, _the counter_, just think about her. He wanted her here. Sure, Jay thought it may be selfish, but since when did he care? He wanted her, end of story.

Getting up, Jay grabbed his black hat, placing it on his head, and left the house. As he drove, Jay realized he actually missed New York. The one thing he missed was the club, his club. Jay drove for a while before coming across a descent looking club. This was a new thing for him. This would be the first time in a long time Jay would have to actually wait in the line. It wasn't too long, so it wasn't really a big deal, but back in New York, he knew the bouncers of the club and could easily just walk in.

Parking the car, Jay locked it up and headed towards the club. Hands in his pockets, Jay waited impatiently. Finally, he stood before the bouncer.

"I.D.," The bouncer stated in a monotone voice. Handing it over, the bouncer took a second to read his name, "Jay Hogart?"

"Uh, yeah," Jay replied, taking his I.D. back. "You own Tony's Garage," The bouncer declared. Jay just nodded his head. "I hear they just opened one up. You think you could take a look at my truck?" The bouncer asked.

"If I don't ever have to wait in this line again, I'll give you a discount," Jay responded.

The bouncer smirked, "Deal. Name's Rex, I'll bring my truck out tomorrow. Finally, they are getting a good shop here."

"I'll make sure I come in tomorrow, thanks man," Jay said before heading inside.

Out of instinct, his eyes scanned the area. After looking it over, Jay headed to the bar, asking for a beer. The night progressed with a few more beers and some dancing. Due to the music, and Jay's slight inebriation, Jay didn't hear his cell phone ring.

By the time Jay got home, around two in the morning, and he checked his phone, Jay realized he couldn't call Emma back. He sighed, wishing he would have heard his cell ringing. All this time, Jay wanted to talk to her, to see her preferably, and he missed his chance.

For the rest of the morning, Jay pondered about what she called for. When he woke up, Jay showered, dressed, and put his cell phone ringer as high as it could go. It was a little unnecessary since he was only going to be at the garage, but Jay wanted to hear it.

The day went on, spent with Rex and his truck. Jay finally found a moment to call Emma back. He waited, listening to the rings echo into his ear. It seemed like she wasn't going to pick up, but finally Jay heard a, "Hello?"

"Hey Green," Jay replied.

"Hi," She said, "I didn't get a chance to read the caller I.D.," Emma told him.

"Are you telling me, that if you did get a chance to, you wouldn't have answered?" Jay asked, joking a bit.

"Maybe," Emma shrugged, "So what were you doing when I called last night?" She asked.

"I was at a club," Jay replied.

"A club," Emma repeated.

Jay listened to the sound of her voice, "Yeah, just some drinking and dancing," Jay told her.

Emma nodded her head, realizing Jay couldn't see her. "I'm not sure how I feel about that," She admitted.

"Why?" Jay asked, totally oblivious.

"Um, because of your history," Emma said.

"Oh c'mon Greenpeace," Jay's tone was slightly annoyed.

"Don't say that stupid nickname like that," Emma snapped, "In case you don't recall, I was around you during your last relationship."

Jay sighed, finally realizing what Emma was getting at, "I wouldn't do that to you," He replied in all honesty. "Well, how am I suppo

sed to know that?" Emma asked, "I mean granted Jessica wasn't the best girlfriend, but still, you shouldn't have been in some of the positions you were in with me. I was going to tell you I was going to come down, but that's a bad idea, so I'll just talk to you later," Emma finished, waiting for Jay's reply.

"Don't be mad Green," Jay told her, "I didn't do anything, okay? Just don't be so upset about it."

"I'm not upset," Emma replied, "I just," Emma sighed loudly, "I'll just talk to you later, bye," Emma hung up.

Jay stared at his phone for a second before closing it.


	46. Lie in bed all day long

**Chapter 45: Lie in bed all day long**

The next few of days were slow for Jay. Not being able to see Emma was actually starting to kill him, especially with so many good looking girls dressed in nothing but skimpy bathing suits. The majority of his time was spent at the garage. He actually missed putting cars together.

That's what he was doing: putting a car together, almost from scratch. Rex introduced him to a friend that worked at the local junkyard. The saying 'one man's trash is another man's treasure' was true in Jay's case. He found a couple really descent cars, whose frames were in perfect shape. It felt as if Jay had worked for a week straight. Right now, Jay was lying in his bed and he did not plan on getting up.

It was still kind of early, so when Emma arrived at Jay's house, she just grabbed the hide-a-key and unlocked the door. Quietly, she entered the house, locked the door behind her, and looked around. The house was absolutely perfect, every aspect of it.

Inaudibly, Emma made her way up the stairs. She found Jay in his room, still in bed. Rolling her eyes, Emma tiptoed over to him. Bending over, Emma whispered, "What are you doing still in bed? It's almost noon," Into his ear.

Jay moved slightly as Emma stood up straight. He couldn't figure out if he really heard Emma's voice or if he was just dreaming, but then he smelt her. It was a subtle yet intoxicating smell of vanilla and strawberries. Not bothering to open his eyes, Jay reached for Emma. Grabbing her, Jay pulled her down to the bed, locking his arms around her.

"Jay," Emma laughed as she tried to get out of his grasp.

With his eyes still closed, Jay kissed every inch of skin that he could. Molding to Jay's touch, Emma lifted his chin, planting her lips on his. The kiss was soft at first, explaining how they had missed each other, but it soon grew in passion. Jay pushed her down, moving on top of her and letting one hand caress her body. He didn't intend to cop a feel. He just wanted to feel her, feel her so close to him.

Emma pulled away, but Jay kissed her lips again. She pulled away again, "Jay," She breathed, letting him know she was out of breath. Her eyes closed as his lips moved down her jaw line, "Why were you still in bed?" Emma asked as Jay continued to kiss down her neck.

"I decided I was going to stay in bed all day," Jay smirked as he looked at her. He moved his hand to her hair, gently stroking it, "And now you're going to stay in bed with me."

"Oh really?" Emma queried.

Jay just nodded in response as he moved his lips back to her neck. Playfully, Jay nibbled at her skin. When a faint moan escaped Emma's lips, Jay bit a little harder before sucking on her neck, just above her collar bone. There was no way he was going to allow her to leave this bed.


	47. I’d spend all night losing sleep

**Chapter 46: I'd spend all night losing sleep**

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Jay asked as he felt Emma move.

"I'm hungry," She told Jay, searching the floor for something to put on.

"Just walk around naked," Jay said to her as he moved behind her.

"I will not do that," Emma replied in a fake gasp.

Jay just smirked as he swept her hair off her shoulder, and brought his lips to her bare skin. Picking up Jay's shirt, Emma put her arms through the sleeves and slipped it over her head. Jay groaned as Emma's back became covered.

Rolling her eyes, Emma turned to face Jay, "You want anything?" Grinning, Jay nodded. "I meant food," Emma explained.

"I'll have some of whatever your getting," Jay answered with a pout.

"You are just so irresistible when you're acting like a baby," Emma whispered to him and kissed his lips, "I'll be right back." Emma stood up from the bed.

Jay's eyes watched her legs until Emma was out of sight. He fell back onto the back, staring up at the ceiling.

"You have to go food shopping," Emma stated as she re-entered the room.

Jay just nodded. He wasn't going to say what was actually on his mind, which was that it felt like Emma had been downstairs for an eternity. Emma set the tray on the nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed, Indian style.

Once again, Jay sat up and moved behind her. He kissed Emma's cheek as his hands slid up her shirt, well his shirt. His hands rested on her waist, with his fingertips lightly moving over her stomach as he nibbled her earlobe. Emma was in complete bliss as she picked up the chocolate bar she had found in the kitchen. Jay and chocolate just went hand in hand with each other.

"Have some," Emma interrupted the kisses, nibbles, and suckles Jay was planting on her neck and handed him the mug of hot chocolate.

Taking his index finger, Jay got some whipped cream on it and put it on Emma's nose. She gasped as she wiped off her nose.

"Why'd you do that?" Emma mocked anger.

"Thought you'd look good in whipped cream," Jay answered coolly. He took a sip of the hot chocolate before putting it back on the nightstand. "You do," He whispered against her ear.

Taking both of his hands, Jay lifted his shirt up and off of Emma. Kissing her deeply, Jay swiftly laid Emma against the bed. He broke the kiss to add more whipped cream to the hot chocolate. His finger scooped some out of the cup and he put it on Emma's stomach, causing her to giggle. Slowly, Jay licked the trail of hot chocolate flavored whipped cream off her belly.

"Jay," Emma giggled.

He smirked as he planted small kisses up her body. His name coming from her lips was the best thing he's ever heard. "You are so ticklish," Jay told her as he ran his fingers along her side, grazing one of Emma's ticklish spots.

Laughing lightly, Emma put her hand over his and kissed him. Jay took his hand back to scoop up some more whipped cream. This time, Jay put it just below her collar bone. "Jay, you're going to leave me all sticky," Emma moaned softly.

"Then we'll just have to take a shower," Jay smirked, "Later." He slowly started to lick the whipped cream off her…

In all his years, Jay never thought he would be _that_ kind of guy, the guy that watches his girlfriend sleep after a night of amazing sex. Gently, Jay swept Emma's hair away from her body. A smirk spread across his lips. On Emma's neck was a mark, his mark. Jay knew Emma would get mad at him for referring to her as his, but she was, she was his girlfriend, and he meant that in the best way.

Tenderly, Jay ran his fingertips over the hickey. He knew he gave her more, and that only made him smirk more. Jay continued stroking Emma's neck until he felt her stir.

She lifted her head and looked at Jay with sleepy eyes, "What're you doing up?" She asked as she muffled her yawn.

"Nothing," Jay replied in a low voice. Reaching up, Emma gave Jay a light kiss on the lips, and snuggled into him. Jay brought his hand to her back, stroking her bare skin. He heard Emma sigh in reprieve, and in no time she was sleeping again.


	48. Sink your toes in

**Chapter 47: Sink your toes in**

"How about we go the beach today?" Emma suggested as she rolled onto her stomach to face Jay.

"Do I have to?" Jay asked, keeping his eyes closed and trying to go back to sleep.

"Why are you so tired?" Emma queried, furrowing her brows.

Jay thought back to how he spent a rather long time watching Emma sleep while he stroked her back. "Do you not remember what we spent the better part of the day and night doing?" Jay questioned as a smirk grew across his lips.

Emma blushed lightly and was happy Jay's eyes were still closed. "Fine, you sleep," Emma told him as she went to get out of bed.

"Hey, where are you going?" Jay asked, eyes till closed.

"Sorry, but I'm not going to lay in bed two days in a row," Emma answered. She leaned over, kissing his lips, and got up.

Jay groaned slightly as he felt Emma get off the bed. He laid there for about twenty minutes before deciding he would get up.

"Nelson?" Jay called out as he walked down the stairs.

"We're living together, and you're still calling me by my last name," Emma halfheartedly rolled her eyes as she reentered the house.

"What are you doing?" Jay inquired, taking the boxes from Emma's hands.

"Well, yesterday you wouldn't let me get out of bed, so I didn't get a chance to bring my things in," Emma told him.

Jay set the boxes down in the living room and turned to look at her, "You showered already," Jay stated, kind of disappointed.

"Yes, I did," Emma replied, "I told you I wanted to go to the beach," She smiled softly at him, "Are you going to come with me?" Emma took a step closer to him as she locked eyes with Jay.

He couldn't take his eyes off of her, and Jay figured that not many other guys could either. "Yeah, I'll go with you," Jay nodded once.

Smiling a bit bigger, Emma gave Jay a hug, "Kay, go get ready," Emma let go and pushed him back towards the stairs.

Jay couldn't help but to chuckle at her persistence. Stopping, Jay turned towards Emma, bring her closer too her and planting his lips on hers.

Emma pulled away slowly, smiling softly up at Jay. "C'mon," She said as she pulled him upstairs. Jay got in the shower, and Emma brought up one of her suitcases to unpack some of her clothes. When Jay got out of the shower, Emma was in their bedroom, dressed in a white bikini; a halter style top with a metallic shooting star design going across her right breast to the very top of the left breast, and the bottoms tie at the sides and have the same design going across her butt.

"You look so incredible," Jay whispered against her ear as he put his arms around her bare waist and rested his palm against her stomach, "I don't know if I want you to leave the house in this."

Emma giggled softly as she leaned her back against Jay's bare chest, "I'm going to put something over this. I'm only wearing a bathing suit incase I want to go swimming," Emma nudged him before moving out of his grasp.

She actually liked that Jay was admitting to her that he didn't want anyone else to check her out. Emma slipped into a pair of white and neon orange striped terry shorts, a short sleeved green athletic tattoo zip-up hoodie, and a pair of white Vans with big orange and red stars.

"Ta-da," Emma said as she spun in a slow circle. Jay smirked and took Emma into his arms, giving her a kiss on the lips. "Why doesn't it surprise me that your swimming trunks are black?" Emma asked.

Jay shook his head, suppressing his chuckle, "Let's go, Greenpeace."

The two walked along the beach, bypassing the crowd of people until it was just them. Quickly, Emma reached for Jay's black cap, placing it on her head.

"Don't think you'll be able to get away with that all the time," Jay told her as he ran his hand through his hair.

Stopping, Emma smiled at him. She slowly began to unzip her hoodie. It fell off her shoulders, and down to the sand, and then her shorts. "I think I will," She replied as she jogged towards the water.

"Hey, you better not get that wet," Jay called as he jogged after her.

Taking the hat off, Emma flung it behind her, to Jay. She wouldn't get his precious hat wet, knowing how much it meant to him. Jay tossed it besides Emma's discarded clothing and went into the water after her. He was almost to her, but he had to stop.

Emma emerged from the water, her blonde hair slicked back, and her bathing suit clinging to her body. She stood in the waist high water, small droplets dripping down her upper body. Slowly, Jay made his way to her, his eyes traveling up her body, finally landing on her face. He put his hands on her waist, stroking his thumb back and forth across her damp skin. Emma wrapped her arms lightly around his neck, twirling the ends of his hair between her fingers.

"Are you okay?" Jay asked, a little alarmed that her smile seemed to be diminishing.

Emma nodded her head once, very slowly, "Are you okay… with everything?" Emma queried.

They kind of jumped into the whole living together thing, and Emma wanted to make sure Jay wanted this. She needed him to want this.

Jay smirked as he lowered his mouths to hers, he pulled back, his lips just barely touching hers, "Definitely," He whispered before kissing her again.


	49. Don’t get so uptight

**Chapter 48: Don't get so uptight**

The weeks went by, and things seemed to be going great, for the most part. There was something wrong, but Jay couldn't exactly put his finger on it. He left his office and walked towards the kitchen, needing something to snack on. When he got to the doorway, he saw Emma in the kitchen, baking.

Leaning against the doorway, Jay just watched her move around. He thought it was kind of… weird that Emma was always cooking, especially since she even cooked meat for him. It was an everyday thing, being in the kitchen, making something or another. Jay figured he was going to be gaining a lot of weight at the rate Emma was cooking food.

His mind moved from the food to Emma, who was in a pair of black shorts and an older white t-shirt with some kind of green eco-friendly design on it. Jay was brought out of his thoughts as Emma began humming softly to herself, still unaware that Jay was in the kitchen.

He walked up behind her, placing a small kiss on her neck as he placed his hands on her waist. Jay went to kiss her again, but Emma moved, "Don't, I'm counting," Emma said.

Quietly, Jay sighed. He couldn't figure out why Emma was in such a bad mood lately. Usually, Emma was smiley and affectionate, but lately she seemed upset, and things frustrated her easily.

"Are you okay?" Jay queried, knowing that he most likely wasn't going to get an answer out of her.

"I'm fine," Emma snapped.

Removing his hands from her waist, Jay sighed. Emma was really starting to frustrate him. He knew it wasn't her time of the month, and suddenly, Jay's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Please tell me you aren't pregnant," Jay told her.

Emma turned around to face him, "No, I'm not pregnant," Emma replied, her voice still a little on the harsh side.

"You've been really uptight lately, and extremely moody," Jay said point blank, "You won't talk to me, so I don't know what to do. Maybe it's just because we both work from home and we are together all the time," Jay shook his head slightly, "I'm gonna go to the garage, give you some space. If you won't tell me what's going on, maybe you'll handle it by yourself," Jay gave her a kiss on the head, "I'll see you later."

Jay really didn't want to just walk out on her, but he didn't know how much more he could take. She didn't have her period, she wasn't pregnant, so what the hell was making her so moody? Hopefully having the day to herself will help Emma do whatever it is she has to do to get out of her unpleasant frame of mind.

With Emma basically giving Jay the cold shoulder, he couldn't help but to think that maybe, just maybe, they moved too quickly together. Even with her disposition, being with her still felt right to Jay, but he didn't know if he could handle Emma. Something was wrong and Emma didn't trust him enough to share it with him, and that, that did not help their relationship. All it did was leave Jay to wonder what was really going on with Emma, and why was she hiding something.


	50. You keep me on my toes

**Chapter 49: You keep me on my toes**

Jay spent his day working on his new car project. He didn't just want to show up at home, just in case Emma was working through whatever problem she was having. It was around ten when Jay pulled up to the house. The lights were out, so Jay entered quietly.

Making his way upstairs, Jay took of his shirt and dropped it in the hamper in the bedroom. The only thing on in the room was the television, which created a soft glow. Jay looked over at Emma as he undressed himself down to his boxers. He slipped into bed and noticed a plate of cookies on the nightstand.

Sitting up a little against the headboard, Jay picked up a cookie and looked at the TV. Surprising him, Jay felt Emma roll over. She situated her body between his legs, leaning on her elbows, which were on either side of him. Jay looked down at her as he took another bite of his cookie.

After chewing, he asked, "Did I wake you?"

Emma shook her head, "I was up," She paused, placing her fingers on his sides and moving them in small circular motions, "I'm sorry, for the way I've been acting… it's just… I got this email from Jack, my brother, and some family stuff is going on… and I haven't seen them in… five years… I guess I was just letting it get to me," She told him, concentrating on the circles she was making on Jay's lower stomach.

He looked at her, unsure of what to say. Jay understood, but that seemed like such a generic response. "Something else is wrong," Jay noted, looking at Emma's pensive expression.

"Um, before… when you asked… if I was pregnant…you were… relieved when I said no…" Emma trailed off, focusing more on her fingers, which were now making swirls on Jay's skin, "Does that mean… that you… don't… want kids?"

Jay looked at Emma and decided to answer as honestly as he could, "Um, to tell you the truth, I've never really thought about it," He looked up towards the TV, "I'm not sure what kind of father I'd make."

"I think you'll be a good father," Emma told him, "And I'm not doing this to pressure you, but I do want kids, at least one, before I'm thirty, and that's six years from now, so you have five years to think about it," She said, semi-jokingly.

As the words left Emma's mouth, it dawned on Jay that she was planning to stay with him. "How about we make a baby later," Jay smirked, "But right now, we just have relations."

Emma laughed lightly and kissed his chest, "As long as you think about it," Emma said and kissed his chest again.

"Uh-uh," Jay pulled Emma up, "Up here."

Obliging, Emma kissed his lips. The two positioned themselves on the bed comfortably, with Emma still on top of Jay. She took his hands and placed them above his head as their kiss deepened.

"What are you doing?" Jay asked as Emma pulled away.

Smirking a little wickedly, Emma sat up, raking her fingernails down Jay's upper body. Her hands went to the bottom of her shirt, and she slowly pulled it over her head. Jay picked up his arms, going to touch her.

"Uh-uh," Emma said, pushing his arms back down.

Sighing, Jay compelled, although he wanted to touch her, he liked how bold Emma was being right now. Undressing herself first, Emma then finished undressing Jay. As Jay watched Emma move on top of him, positioning his cock at her entrance, and slowly moving down, his eyes actually landed on her face. Even with the current situation, Emma still seemed almost angelic.

"Em," Jay moaned, "I need to touch you," He breathed.

Emma smiled. She loved when he called her Em, especially because he only called her that when they were being intimate. Emma kissed Jay, letting him know he now had control. Holding Emma to him, Jay rolled them over; kissing every inch of skin he could reach.


	51. Pull on my hand and say

**Chapter 50: Pull on my hand and say**

Jay had woke up the next morning and decided to go to the garage. He didn't want him and Emma spending every waking moment together, even though he doubted he could get sick of being around her. Working and coming home to Emma did give Jay something to look forward to.

Before he left, he and Emma decided to go to the club later, just for a fun night out. When he got home, Jay knew Emma was going to look good, since she always does, but no matter how many times he sees her, he's always redrawn to her.

Silently, Jay had walked up the steps of their house, and stood in their bedroom doorway. Emma's back was to him, allowing Jay to look over her legs. She was in a pair railroad trouser shorts that were black with off white pinstripes, and a white pinched front halter top that tied around the neck. Her hair was up in a neat, yet messy looking bun, with a few strands of hair falling around her face. Emma turned around as she was applying some chap stick to her lips.

"Jay," She jumped slightly, "Gosh, scare me why don't you."

Jay smirked as he walked towards her, "Sorry," He said as he placed his hands on her waist.

"What are you doing?" Emma raised one eyebrow at him as she put the cap back onto her chap stick.

"Nothing," Jay answered with his smirk still prominent.

He put his lips on hers, bringing Emma closer to him. Pulling away slowly, Emma looked at him. Jay moved his lips to her neck, kissing over and under the tie of her top.

"Jay," Emma murmured, "I thought we were going to go out tonight."

"We are," Jay told her in between kisses.

"You better not leave a mark," Emma warned, a bit playfully, "It took forever for those last ones to go away."

Smirking once more, Jay looked at her, gently brushing his finger over her neck, "Why can't I?"

"Because," Emma started, "I don't like people looking at me, and a big purple hickey is an invite for people to stare."

"I hate to break it to you," Jay kissed her on the lips once, "But people are always going to look at you," He leaned down to whisper in your ear, "You're beautiful."

Emma's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Jay smiled softly as he looked at her, now stroking her cheek, "You know, I love how I can make you blush," He said to her.

Forcing herself not to blush any harder, Emma spoke, "Okay, let's stop talking about me. Go take a shower."

"Join me?" Jay offered, his smirk back on his lips.

"I'm already ready," Emma stated, making Jay pout, "Just take a shower, please?" Emma looked at him with puppy dog eyes, "I really want to go dancing tonight."

Jay made his way to their bathroom, taking a quick shower. It was still kind of early, only a little after nine, but Emma really wanted to go out, and Jay definitely didn't mind going to the club with her. Once he was dressed, he put his hat on, grabbed his keys, and kissed Emma deeply before they got into the car.

When they arrived at the club, Jay put his arm around Emma's waist, bringing her with him as he walked past people waiting to get in. "Hey man," Jay said to the bouncer, Rex. The two men did their male handshake. "This is Emma," Jay introduced.

"Hi," Emma smiled sweetly at Rex.

"You might want to keep your eye on her," Rex said to Jay, "She's beautiful."

"Aww, thank you," Emma gave him another smile as she and Jay headed into the club.

The first thing Emma did was walk Jay to the dance floor. They danced through a handful of songs, not yet feeling tired. Emma turned around in Jay's arms to face him, a smile on her lips. As she was about to speak, she felt someone slap her butt, and that someone was not Jay.

"Hey," She said, turning her head to see who touched her.

Jay looked at the guy, a scowl already forming on his face, "You don't ever touch her," Jay presaged through almost clenched teeth.

"Sorry dude, didn't know you had dibs," The guy told him and looked at Emma, licking his lips.

Narrowing her eyes, Emma picked up her hand, smacking the guy across the face, "Pervert," She said.

The guy put his hand to his red cheek, "Feisty," He commented, stepping closer to Emma.

Jay moved Emma behind him, unable to stop himself from punching the guy in the gut. Gasping, Emma took Jay's hand, just incase he wanted to punch the guy again.

"Is there a problem here?" Rex said after he walked over to them.

"Yes, there is," Emma replied, "This guy is harassing me."

Rex noted the look on Jay's face and grabbed the guy by his shirt, dragging him out of the bar. Jay's eyes squinted as he watched Rex drag the guy off.

Emma squeezed his hand as she moved in front of him, "Jay," She said softly. When he didn't respond, Emma placed her hand on his cheek. Jay closed his eyes before looking at Emma. Reaching up, Emma kissed his lips, then his neck, and whispered, "Let's go home," Into his ear before kissing his neck again.

There was no way Jay was going to say no to that. He let Emma take his hand and started walking out of the club. The entire way, Jay couldn't wait to untie the string that was holding her top up.


	52. I dont wanna be part of the problem

**Chapter 51: I don't want to be part of the problem**

Summer was coming to a close, and Jay and Emma's relationship was going pretty well. There were times when it got a little rocky, but Jay was handling it better than he expected. It was a new feeling for him, one that he wouldn't trade for anything.

This was good, for Jay, and for Emma. Things were going smoothly, for the most part, and besides the whole moving in thing, Jay and Emma were moving slow. There were no weird moments, no awkward silences, and neither of them had brought up the L word yet. They were living together, and enjoying it, but neither of them were ready to admit that they are falling in love.

Although neither of them were prepared to admit it, Jay and Emma had two very different reasons for not wanting to say those three little words to each other. It was something that had to do with the past, and neither Jay nor Emma, were too keen on talking about it. That was part of the reason why the two worked so well with each other, yet at the same time, it was also a problem.

Now, as Jay stood in the doorway to the bedroom, just staring at Emma, he realized she was in one of her 'moods'. Even though Jay still didn't have a clue as to how to handle her when she was like this, he couldn't help but smirk at how cute and sexy she looked while she stared intensely at the computer screen.

Whenever Emma had to do something, she was in it one hundred percent, a very good quality, but also a curse at times. And even though it was getting colder outside, Emma sat on their bed in a pair of short pajama shorts and a light green babydoll that had random white splatters all over it. Beside her was her purple throw blanket, which had funky green flowers on it.

As Emma moved her hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Jay noticed the computer screen. It wasn't its usual graphic design program Emma used to work with, or the paint shop program she used when she fooled around with photography. He couldn't read it from the doorway, but Jay knew Emma was checking her email, and he knew she was not happy. He sighed quietly, unsure if he should go in there, or turn back around. Usually Jay could deal with anything, but this, when Emma was like this, Jay just didn't know what to do.

Cautiously, Jay entered the room, sitting behind her on the bed. He kissed her cheek, "Hey," and began massaging her neck.

"Not now Jay, please," Emma responded as she quickly changed screens.

"It's just a neck massage," Jay replied. He figured Emma was telling him she wasn't 'in the mood'. Jay could feel how tense she was as he applied pressure to the bottom of her neck.

"Mmm," Emma murmured, closing her eyes.

"What's got you so tense?" Jay asked, his voice a little lower than normal so Emma stayed in the peaceful state he had just put her in.

"It's nothing," Emma said quickly.

"You know you can talk to me, right?" Jay queried. Part of him felt like Emma didn't trust him and he really didn't like that.

"I know," Emma answered.

Jay nodded once before he decided to press the issue a little bit, "It's just that, you get," He paused, trying to find the right word to use, "Unapproachable and hard to be around sometimes, and I don't want to make it any worse," Jay finished as he continued massaging her neck muscles.

Stopping him, Emma moved so she was facing him. "I don't mean to," Emma looked at him intently, "It's not you. It's just," She paused, "I don't like to talk about it, okay?"

"Yeah," Jay gave her a small smile, "As long as you don't take my head off," He said, joking a bit.

"When I do, get like this, just remind me, like you did now," She returned his small smile.

"It's nothing big, right?" Jay turned a bit more serious, "Like it's nothing that's happening now, like you aren't in trouble or anything, right?"

Emma smiled softly at him, touched by his concern for her, "No, it happened in the past. I just, I keep getting reminded of it, and it still hurts," Emma's smile faded, "I can't talk about it anymore."

"Okay," Jay gave her a small kiss, allowing the subject to be dropped.


	53. Things that move me the most

**Chapter 52: Things that move me the most**

Jay had his head down, tinkering around in the car he was putting together when he heard a couple of his workers whistling. Not bothering to pick up his head just yet, Jay said, "I thought I told you guys to stop whistling at the customers," Jay picked his head up and smiled, seeing Emma walking over to him.

He wanted to whistle too, and Emma wasn't even dolled up. She was wearing a pair of dark blue denim jeans with a red polka dot top that had a retro vibe with a sweetheart neck and tied at the front. Her hair was wavy, cascading down her shoulders in all its blonde glory.

"Hey," Emma greeted with a smile.

"Hey, what're you doing here?" Jay queried as he wiped his hands off on a rag.

"Thought I'd bring you something to eat," Emma answered with a shrug, "And," She set down the bag, pulling out a metal tin, "I brought cookies for everyone," Emma walked towards the majority of the workers, "Chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies," She told them, setting the open tin down on a counter.

"Delicious," Derrick said after biting into one.

"I want that container back, otherwise I won't bring you guys' food anymore," Emma told them as she walked back over to Jay.

"And what did you bring me?" Jay questioned, with a smirk on his lips.

"Well, I would have brought you lots of kisses, but you're all dirty," Emma replied, a bit playfully, "So, you'll have to settle for some lemon pepper chicken and rice."

Motioning for Emma to follow him, Jay headed towards the back. After washing off his hands and face, Jay walked Emma to his office, closing the door behind them. "Now, what was that first thing you brought me?" Jay asked with a prominent smirk.

Giggling softly, Emma stepped closer to Jay, "Lunch?"

Jay shook his head softly before lowering his lips towards Emma's. Her hands rested on the front of Jay's chest, feeling his muscles flex under his shirt. Jay moved his hands from her waist, up her sides, and kissed his way down her jaw line. Eyes closed and head tilted to the side, Emma sighed in pleasure as Jay's lips danced around her neck. As his lips went lower and lower down her neck, one of Jay's hands found the tie of Emma's shirt. Tugging on it, Jay made it come undone, giving him more access to Emma's chest.

"Jay," Emma murmured, half of her telling him not to stop, and half in protest. Smirking, Jay ran his fingers over the bare skin he was planting kisses on, and looked at Emma. "Why do you do this to me?" Emma asked, her voice just above a whisper, and her eyes still closed.

Jay moved his hand to her hair, brushing it away from her shoulder, "Because you like it."

Opening her eyes, Emma smiled softly, "That I do, but not here," She looked at her boyfriend.

"We won't do anything here," Jay assured her, "Today." Emma couldn't help but chuckle as she rolled her eyes playfully at Jay.

Clearing off his desk, Jay sat down, bringing Emma down onto his lap. She pulled the lunch she made out of the bag, setting it on the desk.

"Eat some," Jay told her after he had taken a couple bites.

"I don't eat chicken," Emma reminded him.

"I know, but you eat rice," He pointed his fork at the rice.

Shaking her head, Emma put her arm around Jay's neck, playing with the ends of his hair, "I'm not really hungry."

Jay stared at Emma until there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Jay said, turning his attention towards the door.

"I hate to interrupt," Derrick spoke as he opened the door.

"We're just having lunch," Jay told him, knowing Derrick thought they were doing something else.

Oh," Derrick shook his head slightly, "Um, this guy brought his car in because it's make some funny noise, and we can't figure out what's wrong with it.

"Okay, I'll check it when I'm done," Jay replied. Nodding, Derrick backed out of the room, closing the door.

"I'm gonna let you get back to work," Emma said to Jay.

"Are you okay?" Jay asked, turning his full attention back on Emma.

"I'm fine. I'll see you at home," Emma kissed his cheek before getting off his lap.

"Greenpeace," Jay called, making Emma stop walking towards the door, "Thanks."

"No problem," Emma gave him a warm smile, "It's what girlfriends do," She told him before leaving.


	54. I’ll give you anything

**Chapter 53: I'll give you anything**

Opening up the front door to his house, Jay entered quietly, out of habit. He saw his girlfriend, Emma, sitting backwards on the couch, staring deeply at the table in the dining room.

"Green," Jay said as he approached her.

"Oh hi," Emma gave him a small smile, "Didn't hear you come in."

Jay bent down to give her a kiss, "Just got in. What're you doing?"

"Nothing," Emma answered and then sighed as she went back to staring at the table.

"Are you trying to move the table with your mind?" Jay queried in a joking tone, trying to lighten the mood. In response, Emma shook her head, still looking at the table. "Baby," Jay sat down on the couch beside her, "What's wrong?"

"It looks empty," Emma told him.

"That's because no one's sitting at it," Jay replied, furrowing his brows in confusion.

"No, I mean," Emma stopped, shaking her head.

"Tell me what you mean," Jay urged.

"No, I don't want you to think I'm pressuring you," Emma replied, turning her head to look at him.

"I won't think you're pressuring me," Jay promised, "Now, what's up with the table?"

Emma turned her attention back onto the table, "Look at it. I just think it looks so empty. Wouldn't it be nice if we ate there, with a baby?" Jay turned around on the couch to see the table, trying to picture having dinner with Emma and a baby.

"I can see him… or her," Jay admitted.

Emma looked at Jay, "Really?"

Jay nodded, "Yeah."

"Does this mean you want to have a baby?" Emma asked.

Jay looked at her, unsure of how to respond, "Well, shouldn't you want to get married first?" Jay questioned, "Or do you want to just jump in and have a baby?"

"You want to marry me?" Emma inquired, speaking slow and soft.

Jay looked at her, a bit confused, "Wait, you wanted me to help you make a kid, but you haven't thought about marriage?"

Casting her eyes down, Emma took a moment to think. She had to break the intense gaze Jay had created. "I didn't think you… would want to marry me," Emma spoke so softly that Jay almost didn't hear her, but her voice strengthened, "Plus, we… have sex… quite often… and we don't always remember to get a condom… and the pill's only 98 effective. Mom got pregnant with Jack while she was on the pill," Emma concluded quickly.

Jay adjusted himself so he was facing Emma, "Why would you think I wouldn't want to marry you?" Emma shrugged, refusing to look at Jay. "Look at me," Jay said softly, putting his thumb under Emma's chin to lift her face up. "Nelson, what's going on?"

Emma tried to advert her gaze, but Jay followed her eyes, intending to keep eye contact with her. "We aren't normal," Emma finally stated, causing Jay to chuckle.

"I know that," Jay replied, "Is that a problem?"

"Well, no," Emma paused, "It's just, we didn't really date, we just had sex and started living together."

"Again, is that a problem?" Jay repeated.

"No, but I thought when I finally did decide to be with someone that I would have a plan, but with you I don't," Emma paused, taking a breath, "I like this, us, I really do, but I want to have a baby so badly," Emma sighed, her lips forming into a little pout.

Jay thought for a moment, taking in all of Emma's words. "I know you want to have a baby," Jay started, "And I know we aren't really a typical couple," Jay looked at Emma, stroking her cheek, "I promise you we will have a baby, if you want to, but maybe we should wait a bit."

"You want to have a baby?" Emma asked in a soft voice.

"If you want to have a baby, then we'll have a baby. I just think we should wait, maybe get engaged or something first, at least," Jay replied.

"Engaged?" Emma echoed.

"Yeah, isn't that how it goes, engaged, married, baby?" Jay questioned, "Well, ideally anyway."

"Engaged," Emma repeated again, in an almost inaudible whisper. Jay could see a very small smile flicker in her eyes.


	55. Even when love wasn’t

**Chapter 54: Even when love wasn't what you were looking for (part one)**

Emma was pacing around the living, waiting for Jay to finish getting showered and dressed. He was up to something, Emma knew he was up to something, but Jay wasn't giving her any hints. Having nothing else to do, Emma checked herself over in the mirror for the umpteenth time. She was dressed in low-rise boot-cut jeans that have a grey tint, and a deep red foil flower screen top with an attached shrug, giving her top a trapezoid neckline. Running her fingers through her naturally wavy hair, Emma sighed.

"Don't look so nervous," Jay spoke as he came down the stairs, "You look incredible."

Emma turned away from the mirror and waited as Jay fully descended the stairs, "What scheme do you have planned?" She queried, folding her arms under her chest.

Jay took a moment to stare before answering, "It's my first attempt, so if you give me lip, you won't get the surprise," Jay warned, "Now, come on." He took her hand, walking with her out the door.

"We're walking?" She asked.

"Yes, that is what we do with our legs," Jay responded, trying to hide his smirk.

"Hey, if I can't give you lip then you definitely cannot give me lip," Emma replied. "I should have brought a hoodie," She muttered to herself.

"It's not a long walk," Jay said to her as he wrapped his arm around her.

The two walked in an almost comfortable silence for the next fifteen minutes, with Jay sneaking glances at Emma. She was confused, and she showed it, which gave her this irresistible, cute pout.

"I love the beach," Emma whispered as they got to the spot of the beach that the two had been to when they first moved here.

"I know," Jay replied as he came to a stop, "And I thought you'd like to come here before it starts getting too cold." Emma looked at Jay with big eyes, almost taken back by how sincere and sweet he was being. "Come on," Jay tugged lightly on her waist, pulling her towards the little picnic he set up.

"Oh my," Emma whispered as she put her hand to her mouth.

"Now, this is how it's done in all those corny romance movies," Jay smirked as he sat down next to Emma on the blanket, "And I know you like those romance movies."

"Oh my," Emma repeated in the same soft voice.

"Green," Jay faced Emma, with one hand in his pocket, "I know that something is going on with you, and I get that you don't want to talk about it, believe me I do," Jay paused as thoughts of his past surfaced, "But I'll wait until you're ready to tell me," Jay pulled his hand out of his pocket.

**(Part two)**

"Jay," Emma interrupted softly.

"No, I gotta get this out before my sarcastic side kicks back in," Jay told her. Emma laughed softly until Jay revealed what he had in his hand.

"Oh my," She whispered for the third time.

"We started off different, although not exactly on the wrong foot," Jay smirked as he thought about the first time they had sex, which had started their relationship. Pushing him playfully, Emma snapped Jay out of his thoughts. "We should continue with this the right way, or at least the way normal people follow," Jay halfheartedly rolled his eyes, not quite a believer in 'normal' people.

"But," Emma started, but stopped.

"But what?" Jay asked, trying to hide the nervousness he was beginning to feel.

Emma looked away, staring off into the ocean instead of Jay's deep blue eyes. She couldn't allow herself to get lost in them this time. This time Emma had to hold back.

Jay watched her stare into the ocean. The waves were splashing calmly, but Jay hardly felt calm. His insides were conflicted, confused, yet the scenery was calm, peaceful. Deep inside of him, Jay always knew that Emma's problem was bigger than she let on. He didn't know how, but he could just tell.

Back in the day, back in high school, Emma was always the strong one, always had something to say, always had to be helping someone, but it was almost as if she lost that spark. It seemed as if she had lost a part of herself. Emma lost a bit of her 'Greenpeace'. As ironic as it was that the nickname Jay had given to her to make fun of her in high school had turned into his term of endearment for her, it was his little pet name for her, something only Jay was able to call her.

If Jay believed in fate, or destiny, Emma's coming to work for him, without knowing it, meant something greater than what it was at the time. In honest truth, the only reason Emma ended up at Jay's mansion was because she happened to be living in New York, working for an agency that dealt with maids and nanny's, and her boss asked her to work as a maid until they found another person who was white, spoke clear English, and was competent.

That fact that it evolved into something more, way more than both Jay and Emma had expected, made it that much greater to be apart of. So, as the two sat on the beach together, each in their own heads, each thinking about the things that led them to New York, they realized something, they realized the same thing. Their past held them back. Their past kept poking at their brains, reminding them of what had happened.

The only difference was that Jay's past really was in the past and was unlikely to revisit him. Emma's, however, was still a struggle, still an issue, still a major problem every day. It was something Emma had told few people, very few people, and the only reason she did tell anyone was because she was in dire need. It was part of the reason it was still so hard to deal with; Emma hadn't told anyone. She still couldn't tell anyone.

"Jay…"

**(Part three)**

"What?" Jay asked softly, matching Emma's tone.

"What if you realize you don't like me?" Emma questioned. Her voice was so low, so soft, that Jay didn't think he heard her correctly.

He just stared at her for a couple moments. "Why would you ask me something like that?" Jay queried. Emma looked away as she fidgeted with her hands. "Greenpeace, I'm pretty sure I've showed you more than a couple times how much I like you," Jay smirked, trying to lighten up the mood. He could see a faint smile on Emma's face. "Green, if I didn't want to be with you, I wouldn't be here," Jay assured her.

"I know," Emma sighed, "But what if you get sick of my mood swings?"

"Then I'll get out of the house, like I do now," Jay shrugged.

"I didn't pressure you into this, did I?" Emma turned her head to face Jay.

"No, you didn't," Jay told her, reaching for her hand, "Whatever you're feeling, you either have to tell me, or," Jay paused, trying to find something to finish his sentence with that made sense. He knew Emma didn't want to reveal whatever it was that she had gone through, and he was trying not to press that issue. "Look, I know you don't want to tell me, and I won't make you, but how are we supposed to move forward if you keep holding back?" Jay looked at her, trying to spit what he had to say out, "And I want to move forward."

Emma's expression softened. Leaning towards Jay, Emma kissed him softly. As she pulled back, intending for that to only be a kiss, Emma realized just how much those words Jay had said meant to her. Kissing him again, Emma moved closer to him. Lips parted and the kiss deepened. Emma was feeling that hunger that she usually felt when she was with Jay. It was the only time she didn't mind not having full control. It was the only time Emma felt safe; that safe feeling only certain people can provide you with, the safe feeling Emma hasn't felt in years.

Jay placed his hand on Emma's cheek, tilting her head a bit for a more comfortable kiss before letting his hand move down her body. Moving one hand to the side of Jay's neck, Emma used the other hand as leverage to push Jay down onto the blanket. She moved with him, never breaking their kiss. Jay moved his hands to her back, holding Emma to him as the kiss intensified even more. Almost out of breath, Jay rolled over so he was on his side.

Staring into Emma's eyes, Jay caught his breath. "I don't know what it is about this shirt," Jay paused as he looked at Emma's shirt, "Maybe it's the neckline or something, but it makes your rack look amazing," Jay used his free hand to gently graze Emma's exposed skin.

Chuckling softly, Emma sat up, "Well wasn't that a Jay Hogart comment."

Smirking, Jay brought himself up until he was resting on his elbow, "Hey, it was a compliment."

"Jay," Emma spoke, her voice softer now, "I want to."

"Want to what?" Jay asked, donning a quizzical expression.

Turning her upper body, Emma reached behind her, and brought the object back as she faced Jay again. Sitting up, Jay took the ring from the velvet box and slid it on her finger.

**(Part four)**

Staring at the ring on her finger, Emma was momentarily stunned by what just happened only moments ago. On her finger sat a 14k white gold ring with a three-stone diamond. "How much was this?" Emma queried, keeping her attention on the ring.

"Don't worry about it," Jay told her.

Emma looked at Jay, "Come on, how much did you pay for this?"

"Babe, I know you," Jay took her hand in his and looked at the ring, "I know you don't like bringing attention to yourself, and I know you don't like gaudy things. I thought you would like this ring, are you telling me you don't?" Jay looked at Emma.

"No, I love it. It is me," Emma gave Jay a warm smile, "I just… how much did you spend?"

Jay chuckled, "I'm not telling you."

"Jay," Emma whined.

"Greenpeace," Jay mimicked.

Pouting, Emma gave Jay a sad look. She didn't like that Jay wouldn't tell her how much this engagement ring cost. Playfully rolling his eyes,

Jay put his hand on the nape of Emma's neck, "Come here," He told her, bringing her to him, initiating a lip-lock.

The two moved back down to the blanket, lying on their sides. Emma rested her hand on Jay's neck, letting her thumb brush over his cheek. The kiss intensified, and Emma leaned her body onto Jay's, wanting to be closer to him. Jay's hand moved down her body, lightly gripping the back of Emma's thigh, and bringing her leg over his. Emma giggled into the kiss as Jay's hand tickled her thigh.

Smirking, Jay rolled over, positioning himself in between Emma's legs before breaking the kiss. His lips caressed her neck, all along her collarbone, and down her chest. Jay nipped at her skin, tickling her some more.

"It's cute how ticklish you are," Jay whispered into Emma's ear, blowing warm breath onto her.

"You can't do that," Emma cooed with her eyes closed.

"Why not?" Jay asked, even though he knew that whispering and blowing in Emma's ear drove her crazy.

It was one of her sensitive spots. It was one of the things that always made her shudder with pleasure. Jay nibbled on her earlobe before placing his lips back on hers. Emma wrapped her arms around Jay's neck, knocking his hat off so she could run her fingers through his hair. Their kiss continued to deepen, leaving the two out of breath, but neither wanted to pull away.

"Jay," Emma said breathlessly, unable to hold off her need of oxygen any longer. They were breathing heavy, staring into each other's eyes, with a smirk on Jay's face. "Maybe we should continue this at home," Emma suggested.

Jay's smirk widened, "I'd love to, but I don't think I'm able to walk home right now."

Cautiously, Emma looked around. Once she was sure that no one was around them, Emma pushed Jay off of her and down on the blanket, "I can help you with that," She replied as she unzipped Jay's jeans.

Carefully, Emma pulled Jay's stiff cock out of his pants, stroking it softly. Jay groaned softly as he felt Emma's warm breath on the head of his dick. Opening her mouth, Emma licked the head, swirling her tongue around before lowering her mouth. She began working her lips over his shaft, getting closer and closer to getting his whole dick into her mouth.

"Fuck," Jay breathed, clenching his teeth a bit as Emma managed to get most of his cock into her mouth. Jay could feel his head at the back of her throat. "Oh baby," Jay moaned softly, putting his hand on her head.

He tried to let her work at her own pace, suppressing his urge to slam himself into her mouth. Emma quickened her pace, relaxing her mouth to suppress her gag reflex, since she knew Jay liked when she deepthroated him. Humming softly, Emma worked more of his cock into her throat.

"Em, I'm gonna cum," Jay told her, pulling on her hair just a little, though not enough to hurt her. "Oh fuck," He breathed as his cum shot into her throat.

Emma had to pull back a little, to stop herself from choking as Jay flooded her mouth. She made sure she swallowed his whole load before gently removing her lips from his cock. Wiping her mouth, Emma gave Jay a small smirk before she carefully put his semi-hard cock back into his pants.

"It still amazes me how good you are at that," Jay complemented her.


	56. But you know baby

**Chapter 55: But you know baby, that's just me**

"When do you want to get married?" Emma asked as she stared at her ring finger, which was currently ring-less.

It had been several days since Jay asked Emma to marry him, and it had been a while since they were able to spend the day together. Jay put his attention on Emma's bare hand as he brought his arm down, which was resting on the side of the tub. Softly, Jay caressed Emma's stomach with his fingertips, making small waves in the water.

"I don't know," Jay answered truthfully, taking a moment to think about it.

Emma brought her hand back down, playing with the bubbles that surrounded them in the bathtub.

"When do you want to get married?" Jay queried, running the hand that was resting on the edge of the tub through his hair.

"I don't know either," Emma replied.

She began lightly tickling the hand Jay was caressing her stomach with. There was a relaxing silence as the two just sat in the bathtub. Emma was between Jay's legs, with her back nestled against Jay's chest. He closed his eyes, allowing the hot bath water to unwind him.

It was the first time, in Jay's 25 years of life, that he was taking a bath. When Emma first suggested taking a bath, Jay thought she was a little crazy, but as he thought about sitting with his naked fiancé, Jay agreed to the idea.

The comfortable silence was interrupted when Emma suddenly spoke, "We should get a Jacuzzi."

"A Jacuzzi?" Jay echoed, his mind already drifting off into thoughts of skinny dipping.

It surprised him that he never got tired of seeing Emma. Each time Jay was with her, his breath caught in his throat.

"Yeah," Emma replied, using both of her hands to play with Jay's hand, "We can have a Jacuzzi room, build onto the back of the house," She paused, turning her head to see Jay, "Enclosed, private," She whispered, her voice becoming flirtatious.

Smirking, Jay looked down at her, "When did you learn to be so seductive?"

Trying to fight off the reddening of her cheeks, Emma focused her attention back on Jay's hand. With a light shrug, Emma answered, "Don't know, guess it comes and goes when it wants to."

"Oh really?" Jay questioned, tilting his head to the side to see Emma's lips had formed into a small grin.

Gingerly, Emma nodded her head as she snuggled against Jay, "So, what do you think about getting a Jacuzzi?" She asked.

"Me and you in a Jacuzzi," Jay smirked, "We'll definitely get one."

"Who said I wanted to be in it with you?" Emma queried, determined to hide her smile.

Jay smirked, and turned Emma's face towards him, "You don't know what you do to me," Jay whispered against her face, "Especially when you sound like that."

Emma matched his smirk, "Oh, I definitely know," Her voice was low, coy, enticing.

She tilted her head up some more, giving Jay a kiss. Pulling back, Emma carefully moved so she was straddling Jay, staring softly into his eyes. Jay couldn't suppress his grin as he brought his hand to the nape of Emma's neck, pulling her lips to his.

Slowly, Emma moved her body up and down, trying to be careful of the water. She arched her back, using her vaginal muscles to squeeze Jay's cock every time she moved up. Groaning lightly, Jay kneaded Emma's breast. He lowered his mouth to her tit, sucking and biting on her nipple as he held her hips. Jay squeezed her hips, lifting Emma up and guiding her back down onto him.

"Jay, the water," Emma struggled to get out as she slowly began to lose her breath. "Oh," She drew out in a moan, her eyes closing.

Lifting his foot, Jay pushed the lever down, allowing the bath water to start draining. He kissed his way up Emma's chest, and guided her a little faster on top of him. Gripping Jay's shoulders, Emma used her muscles as she increased her pace.

"Em," Jay moaned. He loved it when she moved like that. "Fuck, baby."

He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, letting it rest against the edge of the tub. A low giggle escaped Emma's throat. Nuzzling his neck with her nose, Emma placed light kisses around Jay's collarbone.

"Mmm Jay," Emma breathed, her moans increasing, "Jay, oh, ohh god."

Jay grabbed her hips again, realizing she was about to hit her climax. He increased Emma's pace, slamming himself into her, allowing his climax to reach hers.


	57. That ain’t my style

**Chapter 56: That ain't my style**

Was it okay that Jay was getting a little impatient? He knew it was mostly because he was dressed up, something he didn't like. Sighing, Jay ran his hand through his hair. The black hat Jay had had for over ten years was not sitting on his head, nor was Jay in his typical jeans and a t-shirt. Today, Jay was in a pair of black slacks, which were surprisingly comfortable, and a nice, crisp plain white t-shirt.

Emma knew Jay hated having to be told what to wear, so she made it as easy on him as possible. The last thing he had to put on was his black sports coat, which was currently hanging over the back of the couch. Jay couldn't even remember the last time he wore a 'sports coat'. He also didn't see why people enjoyed getting dressed up just so they can eat dinner. Emma tried to explain that some people enjoy getting all 'prettied' up, as she put it, every once in a while, but Jay still didn't agree with restaurants having dress codes. In order for Emma to get Jay to agree to go to dinner, so they can talk about things, she promised that she would make it up to him, which entailed a whole day of whatever it was that Jay wanted to do, and Emma had a pretty good idea what he wanted to do.

Jay heard Emma starting to come down the stairs, so he took a look at his watch. She took exactly how long she said she was going to need, which made Jay realize he actually hadn't been waiting that long. The first thing Jay saw was Emma's long legs.

Standing up, Jay watched as Emma walked down the rest of the stairs, revealing herself in a black keyhole halter dress, which ties at the neck, has a keyhole in the front, rouching at the sides, and a banded bottom. Her hair was slightly wavy, falling over her shoulders, she wore virtually no make up, just a little eyeliner and some foundation, and her outfit ended with a pair of black ribbon Espadrilles, which have a three inch heel, making Emma almost Jay's height.

"You ready to go?" Emma asked, walking over to the bureau in the hallway to get her purse.

Turning his head, Jay watched as Emma left the living room, seeing Emma from behind. The banded bottom of the dress gave Emma's butt a perfect shape. Picking up his sports coat, Jay slipped his arms through it, and met Emma at the front door. He grabbed her gently, yet firmly, and planted his lips on hers, letting his hands caress Emma's sides as he pulled her as close to him as possible.

After pulling away, the two got into Jay's Civic, making their way to the restaurant. During the car ride, Jay had a hard time keeping his eyes off of Emma's legs, and once they were seated in a small booth, Jay had a heard time keeping his eyes off of the keyhole of Emma's dress, allowing him a peak at her cleavage.

"Jay," Emma said, bringing him out of his thoughts, "The wedding?"

"Right," Jay replied, "Whatever you want is fine with me," Jay shrugged, "It's not like either of us talk to our family."

For a moment, Jay put his attention on his plate, putting a forkful of food into his mouth. When he looked back up he wanted to kick himself. "Baby, I didn't mean to make you cry," Jay told her as Emma tried to sniffle back her tears.

Shaking her head, Emma took a deep breath, "Its not you."

"Come here," Jay said, motioning for her to sit by him. E

mma slid over to Jay's side, resting her head on his shoulders, with her body turned towards him, "I told Jack and made him promise not to tell mom or Snake," Emma spoke quietly, fearing she might have a breakdown, "But I miss him so much."

Jay put his arm around her, trying to soothe her, even though he didn't really know how. "How about we hold of on wedding talk," Jay suggested as he ran his fingers through Emma's hair. She nodded gratefully, allowing the subject to be dropped.


	58. Look me in the eye and tell me

**Chapter 57: Look my in the eye and tell me you don't find me attractive (part one)**

The next couple of weeks were a bit shaky. Christmas was approaching, and Emma was upset about not having family to celebrate with. Being a nanny, she was always apart of the family gatherings, especially because she was always with a nice family. Jay knew that was the reason to Emma's mood.

For the most part, she kept herself busy, either on her laptop or in the kitchen, so Jay was busy planning something. He wanted to do something for her, something he knew she would want. Suddenly, the thought came to him. At first, Jay was a bit hesitant, debating whether or not to go through with it, but he finally decided to.

If it came down to it, Jay could always return it, or they could just not use it. His business was doing exceptionally well, so cost wasn't an issue, even if the gift went to waste. During Jay's planning of Emma's 'gift', he realized that he wasn't too good at hiding things from his girlfriend. Emma knew he was up to something, but she wasn't pushing it, and Jay liked that about her.

Over the course of those couple weeks, Emma's mood depended on one thing: emails from Jack. Jay always knew when his emails said something more important than just everyday talk. Whenever Jack emailed Emma about what was going on at home, or in his personal life, Emma would almost sulk around the kitchen, just cooking, baking, or cleaning. The reason Emma chose the kitchen was because Jay barely went in there.

What Jay didn't know was that while Jay was spending some time at the garage, Emma was in the exercise room, exercising out her guilt. The latest reason for a three course meal Emma made Jay was Jack's latest email. The thirteen year old had his first girlfriend, his first real girlfriend. When Emma told Jay about it, he almost laughed.

At thirteen, Jay was beyond having a girlfriend, but Emma reminded Jay that Jack is a pretty normal kid, and had more than a descent childhood. Emma took the news kind of hard. She always wanted to be there, to see Jack's girlfriend, to see if the girl deserves to be with her little brother. She felt as if she was ignoring her big sister responsibilities by not being close to Jack, by not being able to help guide him with things he could or didn't want to tell their parents.

Jay pushed his nearly empty plate in front of him. He knew that if Emma fed him anything else, he was going to explode.

"You're not going to finish it?" Emma looked at the rest of the chocolate chip cake that was sitting on the plate Jay pushed away, "Is it bad? It's the first time I made it," Emma told him, picking up Jay's plate and studying it as she went to dump the contents into the trash.

"No, it was delicious," Jay replied, sitting back in the chair.

"You don't have to lie to me," Emma responded, washing off the rest of the dishes.

"When have I lied to you?" Jay queried, staring at Emma's side, as that was all he could see of her from where he sat in the dining room.

"Never," Emma answered softly.

"Come here," Jay told her, pulling out her chair again.

"Just let me finish the dishes," Emma said, still scrubbing away.

"I'll take care of them later," Jay replied. He didn't understand why she just didn't use the dishwasher, but he wasn't complaining that she was the one to always clean up.

"No, I'll do it," Emma insisted, still washing the pan she used to make Jay a steak, which didn't surprise him anymore. Although, Jay was curious as to why Emma cooked meat if she didn't eat it.

"Baby, please come here," Jay repeated, this time in a softer voice, one he knew Emma couldn't ignore.

She shut off the water, drying her hands on the kitchen towel, and sat down beside Jay at the table. Without a word, Jay pulled out an envelope, placing it on the table in front of Emma.

"What is this?" She asked, looking at the white envelope and then at Jay.

"Open it," He urged. Carefully, Emma slipped her nail under the flap, lightly ripping it open.

"Oh," Emma gasped, almost unbelievably. She stared at its contents, making Jay wait for her reply.

**(Part two)**

"Wow, Jay," Emma shook her head a bit, trying to get herself out of the daze she was in, "This is so thoughtful, but… what if… I… they," Emma tried to speak, but it was like her brain was incapable of forming her thoughts.

Looking at her, Jay couldn't help but to think about how cute Emma looked while she was flustered. "I don't want you to over think about this," Jay started, "They are just plane tickets. If you don't want to go, we won't go. If you do want to go, we will go. If we end up going but you can't face your parents, then we'll just visit the place we grew up."

Emma looked at Jay, her eyes beginning to well with tears. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around Jay's neck, hugging him tightly, "This is one of the best things anyone has ever done for me," Emma spoke softly against Jay's neck.

Jay hugged her back and pulled away, "How come whenever I do something you like, you end up crying?" Jay queried, gently wiping away Emma's stray tear.

"Because I'm weird," Emma guessed with a light laugh.

Chuckling lightly, Jay nodded in agreement. "Put these somewhere where you'll remember them, but where they won't pressure you," Jay said to Emma, touching the two plane tickets, "And I'll finish the kitchen."

"No Jay, I'll finish the dishes," Emma began to stand up, but Jay shook his head.

"Its fine, I can do it," He got up and whispered into her ear, "Unlike you, I'm going to put the dishes in the dishwasher." After giving Emma a kiss on the cheek, Jay headed into the kitchen.

Once Jay was done in the kitchen, he went to his office. It was still a bit early, so he figured he could get some work done. Sitting behind, with a pencil in hand, Jay was staring down at some papers. He was a bit lost in thought, sort of daydreaming about nothing. His thoughts were interrupted when Emma knocked on the door.

Opening it just enough to peak her head through, Emma spoke, "Hey, you busy?"

"Uh," Jay looked down at his desk, "Nah, not really." While Jay focused on the work in front of him, Emma slipped one leg into the room, "Are you sure? This can wait," Emma told him, causing Jay to look up.

His eyes traveled up her leg, stopping just about two inches above the knee, which was where the door obscured his view, "Yeah, I'm sure," Jay replied slowly.

Teasingly slow, Emma fully entered the room, closing the door behind her. For a moment, Emma just leaned against the back of the door, her little black satin robe tied loosely around her waist. She gave Jay a small smile as she took a step towards him, her hand falling to the robe's belt as she did so.

The robe opened, causing Jay's jaw to drop and his pencil to fall out of his hand, onto the papers below. He stared at her, wide-eyed, mouth open, and just watched as Emma approached him. Stopping at the side of the desk, Emma allowed the robed to casually fall off her shoulders, down to the floor, leaving her in only a black lace bra and matching boy shorts.

Motioning with her finger for Jay to stand up, Emma waited patiently as Jay got himself together. Turning them around, Emma walked Jay backwards to the couch in the corner of the office. She pulled his shirt off, as well as the rest of his clothes, and sat him down on the couch.

Unhurriedly, Emma put her hand behind her back, unclasping her bra, allowing it to fall to the floor, and then slid out of her boy shorts. Sitting on his lap, with her back nestled against his chest, and his legs on either side of hers, allowing his cock to enter her.

Jay's hands immediately went to her sides, guiding her, caressing her, and his lips were on her neck, biting gently. This was one of the many things Jay liked about Emma. She was unpredictable, spontaneous. Even after months over being with each other, there was still such a passion burning between the two. It hit Jay heavily, that burning passion, when he stopped their movements, just so he could kiss Emma on the lips.


	59. I saw my first angel

**Chapter 58: I saw my first angel and it was you**

With his head in his hands, Jay stared at the person who was lying in the same bed as him. This was another new feeling to Jay, not getting tired of watching her, or seeing her at all, whether she was awake or asleep. As he lay on his side, with his elbow propped up on his pillow, Jay let his eyes scan over the golden locks that were sitting upon her pillow.

Emma was facing away from him, lying on her stomach with her arms underneath the pillow. The sheet and light comforter kept her covered up, but right now, Jay was pretty content with just looking at her profile. He didn't know what it was, but Jay knew there was something angelic about Emma.

Even now, naked and wrapped up in an off white bed sheet, Emma still maintained virtuous. Jay didn't understand how she did it, how she could go from being totally wild and unpredictable to looking so innocent and adorable. Any guy would kill to be with someone like her, despite her current mood swings, and Jay always kept that not-so-little fact in the back of his mind.

Just as Jay was thinking about running his fingers through her hair, Emma began to stir. She moved slightly, turning her head to see Jay staring at her.

"I hate that you do that," Emma told him, hiding her head under her pillow to fight off her blushing cheeks.

Jay chuckled as he held the sheet and bedspread in one hand so he could slide closer to Emma. He brushed the hair off Emma's back and placed full, gentle kisses on her shoulder blade. One of Jay's hands slipped under the sheet, lightly tickling Emma's back.

"Come out from under there," He coaxed smoothly, still allowing his hand to run up and down her back.

Slowly, Emma brought her head out from underneath the pillow, keeping her hair in her face. Removing his hand from her back, Jay tucked Emma's hair behind her shoulder and situated his weight on his elbow. Jay gave her a small grin, gloating to the fact that she listened to him without protest.

Emma wiggled her body slightly, "Tickle me again," Emma semi-said and semi-asked as she put her head in her hands and leaned her upper body weight onto her elbows.

Obliging, Jay brought his hand back to Emma's back, moving his fingertips in small, spherical motions.

"Can I ask you a question?" Emma's voice was a little softer than normal and her attention was on her pillow.

"Sure," Jay replied, still tickling away on her back.

"What happens if…" Emma paused for a second, "What happens if we have a baby?" She queried, refusing to take her eyes off of her pillow.

"What do you mean?" Jay questioned, not sure if he knew what she was getting at since they already agreed that they both wanted to have a child.

"I mean what if we have a baby sooner than expected?" Emma asked, but continued talking, "Lately we've been so… so in the moment that we haven't used condoms, and the pill doesn't always protect…" Emma trailed off, figuring she got her point across.

"Well, you are still on the pill right?" Jay inquired, looking at Emma, "If you wanted to come off of it, you would tell me."

"Yes, of course I would tell you," Emma replied, turning her head to look at Jay.

"Okay, well then whatever happens, happens," Jay shrugged lightly, "I know you want to have a kid, and we are engaged, so if a baby comes, then a baby comes."

Reaching up, Emma kissed Jay on the lips, happy he was so cool with everything. "So, I think I do want to take that trip to Canada," Emma said.


	60. Im 13 passion but Im 23 pride

**Chapter 59: I'm 1/3 passion, but I'm 2/3 pride (part one)**

"Green, everything will be fine," Jay told her.

He was doing his best to soothe Emma's nerves. They were in Toronto, sitting in their hotel room. Jay was gently massaging Emma's neck as he sat behind her. If Jay knew why Emma was so nervous, he would understand why Emma was freaking out, but he didn't, so he had no clue as to what to say to her.

"I can't do it, I can't do it," Emma muttered, shaking her head.

Jay stopped massaging her neck to drop his arms to Emma's waist. Holding her securely, Jay kissed the side of her neck. "Babe, I think going to see them might be good for you," He paused as he thought it over, "But I don't know why you haven't seen them, so I don't know what to tell you." Emma sighed, her shoulders drooping dramatically. "It's you decision babe," Jay told her, kissing her neck again.

Emma nestled her back against Jay, making herself comfortable. "I'm scared," Emma admitted, her voice just barely audible. Jay tilted his head to get a view of Emma's profile.

"Why are you scared?" Jay asked. He was a bit cautious, not wanting to seem as if he was pushing her to talk to him.

Emma sighed as she put her arms over Jay's, making him hug her tighter. "I don't want to have to explain to them," Emma started, speaking slowly. "They'll ask a bunch of questions," Emma paused again, "They don't know why I left. I just did," She admitted.

Jay squeezed her lightly, allowing Emma to know he was listening. He didn't want to say anything to make her more upset. There were a couple questions he wanted to ask her, but wasn't going to push the subject.

"That was almost seven years ago," Emma shook her head, "I haven't talk to my family in seven years." She began to cry softly, ashamed and disappointed in herself.

Taking a risk, Jay spoke, "I'm sure they'll be happy to see you, to know that you're safe." Emma sniffled, thinking over Jay's last statement. "Don't cry baby, please," Jay nuzzled her neck with his nose, "I hate to see you cry." He placed a gentle kiss below her earlobe.

"I'm gonna go," Emma said suddenly. She wiped the few tears that had fallen down her cheeks.

"Are you sure?" Jay asked, loosening his grip around her waist. Emma nodded as she pulled herself out of Jay's grasp and stood up.

"Yes, I need to," She told him. Jay stood up, wrapping his arms around Emma again, and gave her a kiss.

"Okay, I'll drive you," Jay said.

Nodding again, Emma grabbed her coat, slipping her arms through it. Jay did the same and grabbed his car keys. Emma led the way to the door, and Jay closed it behind him. It was a silent ride once the two got into the car. Emma was holding onto Jay's hand tightly, but her focus was out the passenger window, looking at the scenery she hasn't seen in years. Nostalgia also hit Jay, but he didn't know what to make of it yet.

"Stop here," Emma said. They were about a block away from her house.

"Here?" Jay echoed, glancing at Emma. Emma nodded, so Jay pulled the car off to the side of the road. "Call me," Jay said.

"I will," Emma promised. She gave him a soft kiss before getting out of the car.

**(Part two)**

Jay glanced at his watch for the umpteenth time. It was getting late and he was worried. He hadn't heard from Emma in almost four hours. Since Jay had no idea about why Emma had left Canada seven years ago, he didn't know what to think. Out of habit, Jay had the worst scenarios going through his mind. It didn't sit well in his stomach.

Once again, Jay flicked his wrist, taking a look at his watch. Sighing, Jay looked around the room. It was a fairly simple hotel room. Emma didn't want anything too extravagant, saying it would be a waste of money. He was a little afraid of leaving the apartment. Sure, after Jay had dropped Emma off a black from her house, he cruised around. It was a little weird for him to be back in Toronto, to be back at Degrassi.

He stopped at Tony's Garage, the original Tony's, and just checked up on some things. Jay needed to keep himself busy, but he didn't know how much longer he could wait around for. Emma had promised to call him. If the meeting with her parents went bad, she would have called. If the meeting went well and Emma was staying over, she would have called. So, what happened?

Standing up, Jay took one last look at his watch. He couldn't just sit around any longer. It would soon be nearing eleven o' clock, and Jay just had to make sure Emma was okay. He didn't know what it was, but his stomach was bothering him. Grabbing his keys, Jay slipped on his jacket, and left the apartment. Maintaining the correct speed limit, Jay casually glanced out of the driver side window. Weird didn't even begin to cover how Jay felt about being back in his hometown.

Emma's street was approaching, and Jay slowed down, going under the speed limit considerably. Pulling off to the side of the road, Jay cut the engine. He looked out of the passenger window, staring at Emma's old house. It was late, and in case something was going on, Jay didn't want to disturb them or wake them up, but what looked to be the living room light, was on.

Opening the door, Jay got out of the car, and closed it behind him, making sure not to slam it. For a couple minutes, Jay just stood by his car, allowing the cold December wind to whip around him. Thinking 'it's now or never', Jay walked across the street, ready to knock on the door.

Tapping it three times, kind of lightly, Jay then put his hands in his jacket pocket. He wasn't cold, but Jay needed to do something with his hands, otherwise he was going to start fidgeting. The door open, and Snake stood before Jay. He stared at Jay for a minute or so.

"Jason Hogart," Snake stated, not pleased to see Jay standing on his porch.

"Hey Mr. Simpson," Jay replied, trying to keep himself under control, "Have you seen Emma?"

"Emma?" Snake echoed, "She hasn't been home for years, and why would you need to know where she's at?" Jay looked at Snake, slightly confused.

"Are you telling me she didn't come by here?" Jay asked, becoming even more worried than he was before.

"What do you want with Emma?" Snake queried, ignoring Jay's question.

"Can you just answer me, please? Did Emma stop by today?" Jay asked again. He was becoming annoyed.

"Even if Emma was here, I wouldn't allow you to talk to her. She doesn't need to be around a hooligan like you," Snake told him.

Jay clenched his fist, "You have no right to judge me, even if you knew how I was in high school, and Emma is 24. I'm sure she is capable of making her own decisions."

"How do you know how old she is?" Snake questioned, "And why are you here? I don't want you asking for Emma. I don't want you near her, got it?"

Jay looked down, taking a quick breath to calm himself down. "You haven't seen her in seven years, so what gives you the right to make choices for her?"

**(Part three)**

"Stop arguing," A voice said.

Jay and Snake both turned their heads to see Emma standing on the sidewalk.

"Emma," Snake nearly whispered, utterly stunned to see her.

"Nelson, what happened?" Jay asked, walking down the porch steps.

Emma wrapped her arms around herself, keeping in the little warmth she felt. She shook her head as she looked down with closed eyes.

"What's all the commotion?" Spike queried as she appeared at the front door. Her eyes popped out of her head and her jaw dropped. "Emma," She almost questioned.

"Yeah, it's me," Emma verified.

"Green," Jay spoke softer so her parents wouldn't hear him, "What happened? Why didn't you call me?" He brushed her cheeks softly with his thumbs.

"Don't you touch her," Snake said to him, becoming angry.

"I can touch whoever I want," Jay replied, turning his head to look at Emma's step father.

"Are you the reason my baby left?" Spike asked, on the verge of becoming hysterical.

"You took her away, didn't you?" Snake questioned, not thinking of that until Spike had said it.

"I didn't 'take her'," Jay mimicked, removing his hands from Emma's cheeks. He turned back to Emma, trying to ignore the harsh glares her parents were burning into his head. "Baby, why didn't you visit them when I dropped you off?" Jay asked softly.

"I couldn't," Emma whispered, a tear escaping her eye.

Jay wiped it away, and lifted her chin so she was looking at him. "But why didn't you call me, if you couldn't?"

"I said don't touch her!" Snake practically hollered, "I don't want you near her."

"Emma, come here, talk to us," Spike said, calmer than Snake.

"Stop telling her what to do," Jay ordered, "You're treating her like a dog."

"You took her from us!" Snake boomed.

"Just stop it," Emma cried, "I relapsed, okay?!" Jay looked at her, a bit confused. Spike and Snake did nothing but gasp. "I couldn't get better," Emma continued, "And I couldn't allow myself to bring down the family." She tightened her arms around herself, nearly cutting off her circulation. "After I was released from the hospital, I was fine for a while," Emma began, her voice a bit softer now, "But seeing food was making me sick to my stomach. I could eat, I couldn't look at it, and I couldn't even stand the smell of it." Emma shook her head, disappointed in herself, "I stopped eating again. You guys were on my back constantly, making sure I was eating, and it caused a strain on your marriage, and it took attention away from Jack." Emma looked up, meeting her mother's eye, "I couldn't disappoint you again. I didn't want you and dad fighting over me, so I left," Emma shrugged lightly, "Being on my own forced me to get help."

"Emma," Spike said, her eyes watering.

"Why couldn't you just tell us? Why couldn't you eat?" Snake questioned.

"I just couldn't," Emma answered, her voice softening some more.

"That's not an answer," Snake told her.

"Don't raise your voice at her," Jay looked at Snake, giving him a warning.

"Don't you dare tell me how to speak to my daughter," Snake replied, returning Jay's warning.

"I knew coming here was a mistake," Emma whispered, new tears welling up in her eyes. She turned around, running down the street, leaving Snake and Jay there to glare at each other.

"Nelson," Jay called, jogging after her, "Em, stop."

He picked up his pace, determined to stop Emma. It took Jay a couple minutes, but he managed to get ahead of her. Gripping her arms lightly, Jay stopped Emma from moving. Tears were slowly falling down her cheeks and she was gasping to catch her breath.

"Why couldn't you tell me?" Jay asked, wiping away her tears once again.

"I couldn't," Emma shook her head, "I failed. I've never failed anything before, but I just couldn't beat it."

"But you did," Jay told her, "You eat with me every night."

"I know," Emma responded in a small whisper.

Jay slid his hands down her jacket covered arms, lacing their fingers. He went to speak when he noticed something, "Where's your ring?" He queried, picking up her hand so he could see it.

"I took it off," Emma answered.

"Why would you do that?" Jay asked, looking up from her hand.

"Well, if I did go to my parents, I didn't want them to see it," She replied.

"Why not?" Jay questioned.

"Then they would ask questions, and I would have to explain…" Emma trailed off, looking away from Jay.

"Why you're with me," Jay finished for her. "Are you ashamed of me?"

Emma turned her head back to look at Jay, "No Jay, of course not."

"Then why would you hide the fact that we're engaged?" He asked.

Emma sighed, "It would just be a whole big thing."

"Nice answer," Jay dropped Emma's hands and took a step back from her. "I would hope it would be a 'whole big thing'," Jay mimicked, "It is marriage."

"Jay," Emma exasperated, "I just didn't want to have to defend our relationship."

"I can see that," Jay retorted, "If you really wanted this, then you would." He sighed, taking another step back, "I can't… I can't be here right now," Jay said to her.


	61. No Green to my right

**Chapter 60: No green to my left and no green to my right (part one)**

Jay walked back towards Emma's house. Luckily, Emma's parents had gone back inside. He didn't know what would have happened if they were still outside. Trying to ignore any thoughts of Emma, Jay got into his car and started the engine. He needed a drink, bad.

Cruising down the streets, Jay stopped at the local bar. It was pretty descent, not trashy at all inside. Tables occupied one side of the floor and the other side was open for dancing. Not bothering to let his eyes scan over the people there, like he usually did, Jay went straight to the bar. Sitting himself on the stool, Jay ordered a beer. The sound of the bartender popping the lid off the bottle was like music to Jay's ears. As soon as the bartender placed the beer before him, Jay picked it up, nearly chugging it down.

"Another one," Jay spoke and put the bottle to his lips once more, finishing off the rest of it. The bartender popped the lid off of another one, sliding it to Jay. With this one, Jay just held it in his hands, staring deeply into the weird brown colored glass. Breaking his gaze, Jay put the bottle to his lips, taking long sips. The liquid felt as cold as ice as it went down Jay's throat. He didn't know if it was because he was angry and upset, or because it was kind of hot in the bar, but Jay felt like he was in a sauna. Taking his hands off the bottle, Jay took off his coat, dropping it to the floor in front of his stool.

"Do my eyes deceive me or are you Jay Hogart?" A very familiar voice asked.

Jay turned his head to see Alex Nunez leaning against the bar. Nodding her acknowledgment, Jay turned back to his beer, finishing it off. "Another one," Jay said to the bartender again.

"I haven't seen you in nearly seven, eight years and you nod at me?" Alex nearly exclaimed.

Jay stood up, turning to Alex and gave her a hug. "Sorry," He spoke against her ear. Taking his seat once again, Jay picked up the third beer that was placed in front of him.

"So, what's up?" Alex asked, taking the empty seat next to him.

"I'm really not in the mood to talk Lexi," Jay replied, "Why don't you tell me what you've been up to?"

Alex rolled her eyes, "Fine, since you just bailed and didn't bother to call me," She paused, taking a breath, "I'm still living with my aunt, well sort of. She is still making the mortgage payments on the house, but she's living in some condo with her boyfriend," Alex waved it off. "I'm visiting my mom for the holidays. What are you doing here?"

"Regretting coming back," Jay answered and took another sip from the bottle.

"Why'd you come back?" Alex asked, eager to know why Jay seemed so upset. As she went to repeat her question, Alex so a hot blonde enter the bar. Whistling softly, Alex watched as the girl looked around. When the girl headed for them, Alex's jaw dropped.

"Jay," Emma spoke softly, "I um, need the, uh, room key." Jay could tell by the sound of her voice that she had been crying and was trying to stop. Knowing he couldn't look at her without wanting to kiss her, Jay dug his hand into his pocket, pulling out the plastic card. He handed it to her without a word. "I know you're mad at me," Emma paused, forcing a few tears back, "But please don't do anything that will get you hurt," Emma stopped herself as she went to kiss his cheek. "I'll leave this at the front desk. I'm gonna stay at my parents." Jay only nodded, acknowledging that he was listening. Sighing, Emma turned around, heading back outside. Fiddling around with the beer bottle, Jay replayed Emma's words in his head.

"You have a hotel room with Emma 'Greenpeace' Nelson?" Alex questioned, completely stunned, "And was that a ring on her finger?"

Jay chuckled bitterly, "Oh, she was wearing it?" He put the bottle to his lips, taking another long sip.

"When did she get so hot?" Alex queried, "Did you do something to her? Is that why she was crying?" Alex continued to ask questions, wanting some answers.

"Yeah, I did something. It's always me," Jay replied, a bit harshly. He finished off his beer and ordered another one.

"Jay," Alex's voice softened a little. She placed her hand on his shoulder, "Talk to me, what happened?"

**Chapter 60: No Green to my left and no Green to my right (part two)**

"Come on Lexi, I don't wanna talk," Jay picked up his fourth beer, showing it to Alex, "I just want to drink."

"Still drinking your problems away, eh?" Alex spoke lightly, trying to get Jay to lighten up.

"Well, this is the first problem I've had in a while, so I thought resulting to old ways was the best way to go," Jay replied and took yet another long sip of his drink.

"Jay, talk to me," Alex said, tugging on his hoodie, "Last I heard, people were saying you were in jail or something."

Jay chuckled, "I wonder who spread that rumor," He rolled his eyes.

"Well, tell me the truth," Alex said, "What have you been up to?"

Jay sighed loudly, knowing Alex wasn't going to drop the subject. He looked at her, seeing the gleam in her eye. She seemed to have changed over the years, and looked gorgeous, but she still had a knack for making other people talk.

Turning back to his beer, Jay took another sip. For once, Jay figured talking about this might help, and Emma's words were still stuck in his head. She had sounded so distraught, and Jay didn't want to do anything stupid and make her even more upset. He sighed again, trying to force himself to spill his new life story to Alex. She had to be the easiest person to talk to about it, considering she practically grew up with him.

"You know Tony's Garage?" Jay queried, looking at Alex and he held his beer in both hands.

"Yeah," Alex kind of dragged the word out.

"I own it," Jay declared, taking another sip from the brown bottle.

"No way," Alex gasped, her mouth falling open. "Jay, that's great!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah," Jay nodded his head once, "I opened up a chain of them."

"Jay, that's even greater!" Alex playfully hit Jay's shoulder, shocked to hear that.

"There's about ten or so, mostly along the west coast of the States," Jay finished.

Alex's eyes nearly popped out of her head, "Jay!" She exclaimed again, enveloping him in a hug. "When did you do all this?" Alex asked as she repositioned herself back onto her stool.

"Uh, five years ago?" Jay guessed, which only received a 'no-duh' look from Alex. "I realized I wanted more out of life, so I got my GED, got into college, and bought Tony's," Jay exasperated, hoping that was enough detail for Alex.

"Why didn't you change the name?" Alex questioned, "If you would have called it Jay's or Hogart's, then everyone would know that you didn't end up in jail," She pointed out.

"Yeah, but I don't care what anyone else thinks. I'm the one who's got the money," Jay shrugged, finished off his fourth and final beer. He wasn't going to get hammered and hurt Emma, even if she did hurt him.

"That's the Jay I love," Alex grinned, happy to hear that Jay didn't lose all of his edge. "So tell me how you got together with Emma."

"Uh," Jay paused a bunch of memories came flooding back, "I was living in New York, with Jess, who was my girlfriend at the time, in a mansion." Jay rolled his eyes, just thinking about that stupid mansion.

"A mansion?" Alex echoed, wide eyed.

Jay nodded, "I hated living there. Anyway, Jess had gone through like twenty maids and Emma happened to be the newest one," Jay paused, recalling everything that happened. "She wasn't even supposed to be there, she was just doing a favor for her boss."

"Wait, Emma's a maid? That doesn't sound right," Alex interjected.

"She's an online advertiser, but worked as a nanny too. The agency she worked for dealt with nannies and maids," Jay explained. Alex nodded, encouraging Jay to go on. "Jess had gone out the night before and was hung over, so when the doorbell rang she flipped out…" Jay flashed back to the first day he had laid eyes on her since high school. 

_"Well," Jay started, standing up and walking out to door, "If you wouldn't fire every damn maid you get, someone would be here to answer the damn," Jay opened the door. Surprised, he lowered his voice, "… door." He was shocked, stunned. "Um… hi," Emma replied, just as shocked to see Jay. He looked at her; her blonde hair was in a low, neat bun, with a few pieces left out, falling around her face, her brown eyes seemed to be a bit bigger, with a little green in them, and her body looked incredible. She was in the typical white and off pink tiny checkered uniformed dress. It was short sleeved and stopped about two inches above her knees. In one hand, Emma clutched the handle to her suitcase, and she held a medium sized black bag close to her side._

"So, she was working for me," Jay shrugged. "Jess hated her once she found out that we knew each other. She always yelled at Emma, threatening her," Jay shook his head, "And it didn't even faze her. Emma would just nod and walk away." Jay was staring deeply into the bar's counter top, "She does yoga," He said.

"Yoga," Alex repeated, "No wonder her body looks amazing." Jay chuckled, shaking his head a bit. "Oh come on, like you never checked her out while you were with that Jess chick," Alex retorted with a short, light laugh.

_Jay let his eyes roam her body. Once again, Emma was in a tight spaghetti strap tank top, and this time Jay could clearly see that she did not have a bra on. All Jay could think about was how much Greenpeace had sure grown up since high school._ "I am a guy," Jay responded, bringing his head back to the present, "I can't help myself."

"Yeah, well the same thing goes for lesbians," Alex replied, but she then became a bit more serious, "And if you can't help it, how come I haven't seen you look at one chick in this place?" Jay shrugged, not taking his eyes off of the bar. "Wow," Alex whispered to herself, "She's got you."

Jay shrugged again, "Can't help that I like her."

"Love her," Alex corrected, causing Jay to look at her.

"We haven't said those words to each other," Jay told her.

Alex gasped, "You're engaged and you haven't said 'I love you'?"

"Nope," Jay answered, shrugging once again.

"Okay, well you didn't tell me how you got together with Emma."

Jay sighed, but went on to Alex what she wanted to hear, "After two months or so, Emma decided she couldn't take Jess anymore, so she quit. I found out that Jess had hid a letter Emma left me, with her phone number on it, so I broke up with her," Jay paused, thinking Alex would interrupt him, but she only urged him to continue, "We started hanging out, regularly. She was helping me find a place to live since I couldn't stand being in that stupid mansion." Jay was beginning to regret agreeing to tell Alex about Emma. "I was opening up a garage near Ocean Grove in NJ," Jay continued, "And I really liked it there, so Emma came down and we looked at some houses. One house, Emma couldn't stop talking about. She went on and on about how perfect it was, so I bought it. That was the start of our relationship." 

_Moving his lips back to hers, Jay let his hands slide down, over her butt, and lifted her up, placing her on the counter's edge. Emma kissed him fiercely, obliging to everything Jay was doing. As Jay kissed her back, he slowly moved his fingers down her legs, taking off her flats, and letting them drop to the floor. His hands worked their way back up, ascending in pressure as they reached the hem of her shorts. In reply, Emma leaned back, allowing Jay the access he needed to unzip her shorts. Emma went right back to kissing him as he worked his hands under her cami. Pulling it off, Jay took a moment to gaze at her naked upper body. His hands moved to her breasts on their own…_

"We had sex on one of the kitchen counters."

Alex chuckled, "That sounds like something you would do, but not Emma."

"Well, she did, and it was amazing," Jay smirked as he thought about her, "She always looks so innocent and sweet, and she is, but she really knows her way around."


	62. Just film away and let me be

**Chapter 62: Just film away and let me be**

"You're working here again?" Sean asked Jay as he entered the shop.

Jay was tinkering around on a car, waiting for some faxes to come through. "Never stopped," Jay replied, not taking his eyes off of the car. He did not want to see Sean right now. "You need something?" Jay asked, wondering why Sean was here in the first place.

"Oh yeah, I need a part," Sean answered, giving Jay the name of the part he needed.

"Jay, fax came through," One of the workers, Nate (Tony's nephew), called from the back.

"Nate, you better not be smoking back there. Tony will kill me," Jay yelled back, "Come out here and take care of Sean." Jay headed into the office, still not bothering to look at Sean, who was standing there, slightly confused. "Nate, get out there," Jay told him as he caught Nate putting out his cigarette.

"I'm going," Nate replied. Jay entered the office, going through some bills. As his eyes scanned over the papers, Jay became a little angry. Just to be sure, Jay looked through them one more time. Sighing, Jay headed back out to the shop, ready to get to the bottom of this.

"Everyone stop what you're doing and get over here," Jay ordered. Most of the workers stopped, heading over to Jay. "I said everyone," Jay repeated. "What about the customer?" Nate asked, who was still working with Sean. "He can wait. Get over here," Jay replied, not bothering to look at Sean.

Once everyone stood before Jay, he held up the papers that were in his hand. "One, the electric bill has skyrocketed, and two, we're missing parts," Jay paused, watching everyone for changes in their facial expressions. As his eyes landed on Nate, Jay sighed. "This is the last time I am warning you as a whole. If I catch you stealing from here, you're fired, and you will be repaying for the parts you've taken. Go back to work," Jay finished.

"Darren, take over with Sean, and Nate, follow me." Jay turned around, heading back to his office. Nate followed, closing the door behind him. "Nate," Jay exasperated.

"I'll pay you back," Nate responded quickly.

"You bet you will," Jay told him. "Look, I get what you're going through. I really do, but you can't keep doing this."

"We needed a place," Nate shrugged.

"I was you, and that is no exaggeration. I partied, I stole, and I got expelled from school. You don't want to go down the route I did," Jay put his hands on the back of the chair. "Tony will be so disappointed if you don't work your way up. Do you want to work here?" Jay asked, looking at Nate.

"Yeah, I love cars," Nate answered.

"Well stop stealing from your uncle, stop stealing from me, and work. I know Tony wants me to leave the garages to you, and I want to, but if you don't grow up a little, that's not going to happen."

"I will, promise," Nate told him.

Jay nodded, "I think I'll stick around a bit, just to make sure. Get back out there." Nodding back, Nate opened up the door, leaving to get back to work.

After a minute or so, Jay headed back into the shop. Frustration grew over him as he saw Sean. "Do you manage this place or something?" Sean asked, curiosity seeping from his pores.

"Something like that," Jay answered, barely acknowledging him. "Did Darren get you what you needed?" Jay queried.

"Yeah, he did, got it," Sean held up the part he came for.

"Do you need something else?" Jay asked, wishing Sean would just leave already.

"Yeah, I need to know what's going on with you. You know, I haven't seen you in nearly eight, maybe nine years."

"You're the one who went off to the army," Jay replied, picking up a tool box.

"Well, you just disappeared," Sean countered.

"I didn't disappear, I moved," Jay corrected him. "If you moved, how have you always worked here?" Sean questioned.

"I own Tony's," Jay answered gruffly, "Now that you have your information, can you leave me alone?"

"You own Tony's? Wow," Sean didn't deny that he was shocked.

"Yeah, I actually did something with my life," Jay retorted, getting increasingly annoyed.

"So you weren't in jail?" Sean inquired.

"Nope, wasn't in jail," Jay answered, biting his tongue to keep in a whole slew of sarcastic comments. "If you'll excuse me," Jay faked politeness as he went back into the office, letting the door slam closed.


	63. I will clench my own fist

**Chapter 63: I will clench my own fist**

"Jay," Alex's mother, Tina, spoke as she opened up the apartment door.

"Hey Tina," Jay replied, returning the hug Tina had enveloped him in.

"My gosh, I haven't seen you in forever," Tina took a step back, looking Jay over. "You're still adorable," She concluded and then ushered him inside, "I have someone I want you to meet." Jay followed Tina inside. They entered the kitchen, and Jay was surprised to see a middle aged man cooking. "Jay, this is Trevor, Trevor, Jay," Tine introduced.

Trevor wiped his hands on a kitchen towel that was slung over his right shoulder. Stuck out his hand to shake Jay's, Trevor said, "Nice to meet you."

Jay shook his hand, "You too."

Tina went over to the sink, rewashing her hands, and began cutting up some vegetables. "Would you like something to drink?" Tina asked.

"Nah, I'm good," Jay glanced around the apartment. It was a lot nicer, and bigger than the one Alex had grown up in. "You seem to have done really well for yourself," Jay told her honestly.

Tina smiled at him, "That's all thanks to Alex. She really opened my eyes once she left. She's had a hard life, but she's a special girl," Tina smiled softly as she thought about her daughter. Jay was a little surprised to hear that, but was happy that Tina seemed to get her life together.

"Hun, we're out of lemons," Trevor said as he looked through the fridge, "Tomatoes too. I could have sworn I bought more than this."

"Um," Tina walked over to the fridge, looking through the draws, "Hmm, I guess I'll go to the store."

"Again?" Alex asked as she walked into the kitchen. Her hair was wet, hanging loosely, and she was dressed in a pair of warm black lounge pants and a zip-up sweatshirt.

"Seems that way," Tina answered.

"Who's gonna eat all this food?" Alex questioned as she looked at everything her mom and Trevor were preparing.

"It's Christmas Lexi," Tina said, "There's supposed to be a feast."

"Christmas is in two days," Alex retorted..

"Which is why we're preparing some food," Trevor told her before turning to Tina, "I'll go to the store."

"Nah, I'll go," Alex said. "You're hair's wet. You're not going out like that," Tina replied, making Alex roll her eyes.

"I can go," Jay offered.

"Yeah, make him do something," Alex called over her shoulder as she headed towards the living room couch.

"Thank you Jay," Tina said to him as she wrote down what she needed. After handing Jay the list and some money, Jay headed off to the store.

Minding his own business, Jay maneuvered his way through the pretty crowded shopping center. His focus was only on what was the list, which was currently in his back pocket. Basket in hand, Jay was almost done. After picking up the last thing on the list, Jay headed towards the check out. Jay had thought that today was going to be better than the past few days had been.

However, Jay was wrong. Sure, Alex invited him over, mostly because Tina insisted, and Jay did like Alex's mother. Plus, it's not like Jay had any other holiday plans. Right now though, Jay's eyes focused on two very familiar people. His first instinct was to go over to Sean and Emma, and punch Sean in the face. It was obvious that they were picking up a few things, most likely for Spike and Snake. Sean held a basket in one hand, and his other hand was on Emma's lower back. Emma had both arms crossed over her chest, with her head down. Jay clenched his fist, aware of the fact that he had to walk past them to leave the store. All of this was taking a huge toll on Jay and he desperately just wanted to hit something.

Keeping his fist clenched, nearly making his short nails rip his skin open, Jay headed towards the sliding doors. In his other hand, Jay held the grocery bag, with that fist clenched just as tightly. Out of the corner of his eye, Jay saw that both Emma and Sean had seen him. It was the first time Emma had lifted her head up. She looked incredibly sad, which made Jay feel even worse. Why was she doing this to him? Why was she doing this to herself?


	64. I want to get myself back

**Chapter 64: I, I want to get myself back**

"Lexi, I do not want to be here," Jay repeated for the millionth time. He didn't know why he bothered; knowing Lexi didn't care whether he wanted to be there or not.

"You've spent the past week with your nose buried in papers," Lexi began as she headed up a walkway, "It's New Years Eve, and you need to have some fun."

"I don't want to," Jay replied, sounding like a stubborn child. He did not want to be at a New Year's Eve party in Toronto.

"Oh hush up you big baby," Alex said as she rang the doorbell.

The door opened, "C'mon in," Spinner told them. He took a good look at Alex and Jay, "Why doesn't it surprise me you to are together?"

"We're not together," Alex corrected him.

"I didn't mean like that," Spinner looked at Alex with a 'duh' look, "I know you're gay. I meant that you two are still hanging out." Alex and Jay entered the house, with Jay and Spinner doing the male handshake.

"Actually, this is the first time I've seen Jay in years," Alex enlightened Spinner, playfully pinching Jay's cheek, "He has been too busy with the chain of garages he owns."

"Lexi," Jay warned, pushing her hand away from his face.

"Wow man, that's awesome," Spinner congratulated him, "I wish I coulda done something like that." Jay just nodded, not really wanting to talk about it.

"Spin," Marco called as he headed over to him, "I've been looking everywhere for you." Marco looked at Alex and Jay, "Alex, wow, you look great."

Alex returned his smile, "Hey Marco." They exchanged a small hug.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna hug you," Marco said to Jay, "You may be cute, but you are so far from my type."

Alex looked at Jay, trying to suppress her laugh, "Don't mind him, he's a bit grouchy."

"I wouldn't be if you didn't drag me here," Jay retorted.

"Well, drinks are in the kitchen," Marco stated, "Oh, which is why I was looking for you," He turned to Spin, "Refills."

"Right," Spinner nodded his head once, "Come with me, man," Spinner said to Jay.

"Here," Spin handed Jay a cold beer.

"Thanks," Jay muttered, taking the beer.

"So, what have you been up to?" Spin asked as he occupied himself with refilling the table with drinks. Jay just shrugged, taking long sips of his drink. "You don't seem as laid back as you used to," Spinner noted, glancing at Jay.

"Let's just say coming back here was a mistake," Jay replied.

"I know that feeling," Spinner responded, "So I take it you're not staying?"

"Hell no," Jay answered quickly, "Besides, most of the garages are in the states."

"Dude, you've done really well for yourself," Spinner told him genuinely.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Jay mumbled.

"Spin, you so owe me," Paige began as she headed towards the table. She turned to Jay, not realizing it was him, "Hey cutie. Anyway, I just got some business," Paige showed him a card, "The guy loves the new designs."

"Cool," Spinner nodded, "Paige, you remember Jay."

"Jay?" Paige echoed, taking a good look at him, "Well, didn't you turn into a hunk. I heard you ended up in jail." Jay shook his head, chuckling at Paige's comment.

"Nope, Jay owns a chain of garages," Spinner patted Jay on the back, "What's the name?"

"Tony's," Jay told him, "I bought it, never changed the name, and opened about ten or so other ones," Jay finished, not wanting to talk at all.

"Wow, that's really something," Paige remarked, "Hey Spin, you should talk to Jimmy about getting into some business with Jay," Paige gave the guys a small smile and headed back the way she came.

"Oh right," Spinner began, "Jimmy and I got back into the t-shirt biz after college. We can design a shirt for your garage." Jay nodded, acknowledging the idea. "Whoa," Spinner breathed, causing Jay to look at him, "Who is that?" Jay turned his head to see what Spinner was looking at, and sure enough, it was Emma.


	65. We decide to raise our own voices

** Chapter 65: We decide to raise our own voices**

"What're you doing in here by yourself?" A slightly tipsy Paige asked.

Jay looked at her briefly before looking around the room. He stood in the kitchen, which was pretty much empty, besides the people who were at the drinks table. Leaning against the far counter, with a beer in hand, Jay was content with being by himself. "Being alone," Jay answered, making Paige giggle.

"It's almost a new year, you shouldn't be by yourself," Paige declared, putting her hand on Jay's lower bicep. She squeezed his arm lightly, feeling his muscles reflex under his hoodie. Jay took a long sip of his beer, unsure of how to reply to Paige.

"Jay," A soft voice said. Paige looked over to see Emma standing there and smiled.

"Emma, hey, I haven't seen you in like forever!" Paige exclaimed. She let go of Jay's arm and hugged Emma. "You talked to Manny right? I'm pretty sure I saw her. I'll go find her," Paige rambled, leaving Jay and Emma alone in the kitchen.

Jay finished off the rest of his beer, throwing the bottle into the recycling bin. Folding his arms across his chest, Jay didn't budge. He barely looked at Emma. He barely looked at anything besides his arms. The fact that this situation was so hard was irking him, driving him crazy, and Jay was uncertain of how much longer he could deal with it.

"You and Paige looked pretty cozy," Emma stated as she looked down at her arm, playing with the string of her hoodie.

"Sure," Jay shrugged.

"That's all you have to say, 'sure'?" Emma mimicked.

"Well, what do you want me to say?" Jay queried. "You're the one who doesn't think I'm good enough for your family to think about. You're the one who won't even keep your engagement ring on your finger. Am I just supposed to sit back and wait until you decide to come back home, if you even decide to come back home? Do you think I'm just going to wait around for you when you don't even want me?" Jay was on a rampage, with his voice rising a little along the way.

"Don't say that," Emma spoke softly, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"I'm surprised you aren't worried about people seeing us talking," Jay retorted, shifting his position slightly. Emma shook her head as she tried to stop her eyes from filling with tears.

"Hey," Manny said as she entered the kitchen, Sean not far behind. "Hey," Manny repeated, this time her voice softer, "Em, what's wrong?" Manny looked up at Jay, "What did you do to her?"

"Oh, it's always me that does something," Jay rolled his eyes.

"Why is she crying again?" Sean queried, turning his full focus on Jay. Jay shook his head, chuckling lightly at this situation. "You think this is funny?" Sean asked, becoming angrier with each word he spoke.

"Yeah, I do," Jay replied, "Don't you Greenpeace. Really, if you think about the situation and what everyone is saying, it's quite hilarious."

"Don't, Jay," Emma pleaded. She just wanted to talk to him, but everyone kept getting in the way.

"Don't what, Nelson?" Jay queried, "Don't get mad? Don't walk away? Don't go home? Don't wait around?"

"Don't talk to her like that," Sean snapped.

"I can talk to her anyway I damn well please. She's--" Jay stopped himself, realizing that he almost said the words 'my fiancé'. As he thought about those words, Jay realized he wasn't sure. It definitely didn't feel like the two of them were still together. "I'm telling you right now Cameron," Jay began, standing before him, "I'm pissed enough as it is. You start with me and I will not hesitate to hit you."

Sean stared up at Jay, since he was a couple inches shorter than him, "Is that a threat?" He asked, slightly amused.

Jay smirked, "That, or a promise. Whichever you prefer," Jay answered. Sean just stood there, mocking Jay, waiting for that promise. Jay's fist was already clenched. He needed to punch something, anything, and seeing Sean with Emma all week made him put Sean on the top of his list. Before Jay even raised his fist, Emma stood between them.


	66. I’ve got love I need to give

**Chapter 66: I've got love I need to give (part one)**

Jay had walked out of the party. When Emma stepped in between he and Sean, Jay only saw one thing: Emma stopping Jay from hitting Sean, for Sean's sake. It was the only thing on his mind, and it made him angrier than he was before.

"Jay," Emma called out to him, but he wouldn't stop. All Jay wanted to do was get in his car and get out of here. "Jay, please," Emma took a hold of Jay's arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Please," She repeated.

After a moment of silence, Jay looked at Emma. He pulled his arm from her grasp. "What do you want from me?" He asked, staring heavily into her eyes. "I can't keep playing this game you're playing. I do not want to be a part of it," Jay paused, taking a deep breath, "You're twenty-four, not some eleven-year-old. If you want to be treated like a child, fine, but don't expect me to wait around for you. I can't do it," Jay finished. He looked away from her before focusing on her again, "I love you, but I can't do this." Jay went to turn away, feeling a little better about getting everything off his chest. Sighing quietly, Jay put his hands in his jean pockets, and took a step towards his car. This was it. Jay had said everything he needed to say, and now it was time to go home.

Before Jay took a second step, Emma took hold of his arm again. She turned him around and crashed his lips to hers. Her hands went to his cheeks, holding his face as close to hers as possible. A little stunned, it took Jay a split second to realize what Emma had just done. He too cupped her face in his hands, stroking his thumbs across her cheeks. It felt incredible to kiss her again. Jay's hand moved to her hair, getting tangled in her golden locks as the two opened their mouths. As the kiss deepened, Emma moved her arms around Jay's neck, hugging him close to her. Jay slid his hands from Emma's face, down her body, skimming the sides of her breasts, and rested them on her waist. She teased him with her tongue, making Jay squeeze her sides. The kiss slowed, although it remained deep, and Jay wrapped his arms around Emma's waist, hugging her tightly to him. Slowly, the two pulled away from each other's mouths, resting their foreheads together.

"I don't think this will make you feel any better," Emma spoke quietly, "But I never really took the ring off." She removed one of her arms from around Jay's neck and pulled out a thick, black string necklace. On it was her engagement ring, which she now held between her index finger and thumb.

"It makes me feel a little better," Jay replied, matching Emma's voice. He took the black string from Emma's hand and pulled it up and off Emma's neck. Carefully, Jay untied the knot that held the two ends together, and took the ring off. Emma held out her hand, a kid-like grin on her face. Jay slid the ring onto Emma's ring finger and then laced their fingers together.

While the two kissed each other again, they were oblivious to the crowd that had formed on the porch. They had shocked everyone, yet were unaware of the affect they were causing. On the porch stood Manny, with her mouth gaping open, a completely wide-eyed Sean, a stunned Paige, a grinning Alex, and a shocked Jimmy and Spinner. Sean and Manny were halfheartedly filled in on Emma's situation. Both of them had known Emma hadn't been back home in nearly eight years, but they didn't know why. Neither knew that Jay and Emma were together. Watching the two lovebirds exchange slower, more subtle kisses was mind-boggling to the six people occupying the porch.

"What's going on… out… here…?" Marco's sentence came to a slow down as he laid eyes upon Emma and Jay, "Wow." Now, the seven of them couldn't take their eyes off of Emma and Jay.

The two hugged each other, with Jay burying his face into the crook of Emma's neck. "God, I've missed you," He mumbled, not exactly wanting her to hear him. Jay was getting tired of his sensitive side. He was answered with a slow, enticing kiss to his neck.

**Chapter 66: I've got love I need to give (part two)**

"Let's get out of here," Jay suggested, his head still buried in Emma's neck. Once again, Jay was answered with another kiss to his neck, which turned into two, and then three. Smirking into her neck, Jay too kissed her neck before picking his head up to look at her. With his smirk still prominent on his face, Jay moved his hands down her body, gripping her butt playfully before scooping her up in his arms.

"Jay," Emma laughed lightly, watching him intently. Holding her with one arm, Jay opened up the passenger door to his car, and sat her down on the seat. After shutting the door, Jay made his way to the driver's side. The entire time, Emma didn't take her eyes off him. The two were still completely unmindful to the small crowd that had accumulated outside. Jay peeled away from the curb, trying to keep his focus on the road. One hand held the steering wheel, while his other hand was laced with Emma's. She leaned into him, not feeling close enough to him. It had been too long for them; they were apart for too long.

For a second, Jay looked at Emma, smiling lightly as he saw that she was looking at him to. Leaning in, Jay gave her a small kiss, not expecting Emma to kiss back the way she did. Gripping the steering wheel a bit tighter, Jay let himself give in for a second before breaking the kiss.

"I'm driving ya know, you can't do that to me," He quipped, causing Emma to chuckle as her cheeks turned a very light shade of pink.

Once Jay parked in the hotel's parking lot, the two nearly sprinted inside the building. Jay pressed the elevator button with his floor number and watched as the doors closed. Turning towards Emma, he inched his way towards her, cornering her. He kissed her softly at first, allowing his kisses to linger before kissing her again. Smiling into the kiss, Emma put her arms loosely around Jay's neck, letting her fingers play in his hair.

"I'm sorry," Emma said as she looked into his eyes, "I don't know why I let them get to me like that. I just wanted to see Jack," She told him, gently twirling his hair around her finger.

"You know, you can always fly Jack out to Jersey," Jay replied. He unzipped Emma's coat and slipped his hands under her shirt, resting them on her waist.

"Really?" Emma queried, not having thought of that.

"Yeah, for the weekend or spring break or whatever," Jay shrugged his shoulders lightly, "You don't have to choose between us. I don't want you to choose between us." Emma put her palm flat against the back of Jay's head, kissing him passionately.

The bringing noise of the elevator stopped them, making Emma pull away, and Jay happy to be close to their room. Without word, Jay flung Emma over his shoulder, walking at a brisk pace towards their room. "Jay, put me down!" Emma exclaimed, trying not to laugh. She swatted his butt with her hand.

"Hey, save that for the bedroom," Jay responded as he dug his hand in his front pocket for the key card.

He opened up the door, closing it behind him, and tossing the key card onto the little bureau by the door. On the walk to the bed, Jay slipped his shoes off, leaving them in the walkway. Once he was close enough to the bed, Jay gently threw Emma down onto it, making her bounce up a little. Sitting up a little, Emma grabbed Jay's hoodie, pulling him down to her. Their lips went to work, re-familiarizing themselves with each other's mouths. Emma slipped her hands under Jay's hoodie, causing Jay to pull it off. As their mouths went back to each other, the two sat up a little, working Emma's jacket off her arms. Carelessly, Jay tossed it, allowing it to fall to the floor. Emma's hands moved to the bottom of Jay's t-shirt, bunching it up in her hands as she worked it up his body. Breaking the kiss, Emma pulled it over his head. She flung the shirt so it was out of the way, and Jay pulled Emma up a bit. Working his hands under her shirt, Jay slowly inched it up. He took his time taking it off, remembering it had been a long time since he last saw her. Once her shirt was off, Jay ran his fingers over her bare skin, working his way towards her chest. Laying her back on the bed and leaning over her, Jay went to kiss her again.

"Wait, Jay, I have to tell you something," Emma breathed. Jay adjusted his body weight to his hands, which were on either side of her body, and looked down at her. Nervously, Emma glanced up at him, "I haven't really been eating."


	67. Tell me who my hands were made for

**Chapter 67: Tell me who my hands were made for**

"_I haven't really been eating."_

Jay sat back on his heels, forgetting that he had been reacquainting himself with Emma's body. He took a moment to look from her face, down her shirtless upper body, clad only in a green and white checkered bra that had a strawberry band. His eyes stopped at the button of her jeans. Emma didn't look as if she had stopped eating, but that wasn't what she said. She said she _hasn't really_ been eating.

Jay shook his head lightly, trying to figure out what his brain was telling him to do. Emma, seeing the confusion on Jay's face took a deep breath. She was going to have to explain this. "It's just… I can't really eat… when…" Emma trailed off, finding it hard to explain to Jay what she was feeling, "Mom and Snake have done nothing but argue about me, and they keep questioning me about everything. It was too much, and I couldn't," Emma paused, shaking her head to fight off the few tears that were forming, "Plus, I hurt you, and it killed me, which didn't help." She closed her eyes tightly, uncertain that her uncompleted sentences made any sense.

"Hey, hey," Jay spoke softly as he wiped Emma's cheeks with his thumbs. "Sit up," He told her, giving her room to do so. His one leg was still in between hers, and Jay was content with leaving it there. Situating her back against the headboard, Emma crossed her arms over her chest, accentuating her cleavage. "So, you only didn't eat because you were feeling stressed," Jay figured, trying to make sure he understood, "You don't think you're fat or anything, right?"

Emma shook her head softly, "No, my eating issue isn't really about my body weight, not anymore. It's more so for control. I couldn't stop Snake and mom from being mad, or questioning me, or arguing about me, but I could control what I put in my mouth," She explained, exhaling a nervous breath.

"I'm glad you told me, that I know everything, but I don't want anything to happen to you," Jay told her. He was pretty sure he wouldn't know how to handle Emma if she completely stopped eating.

"I know, I just wanted you to know, because you should know," Emma rambled lightly. Leaning towards her, Jay kissed her lips, twice, and then kissed down her neck, to her cleavage. "How… about… I order… some room service?" Jay suggested in between kisses, "I could use a beer."

"Champagne," Emma said.

"Champagne?" Jay echoed.

"Yeah, it's New Years Eve, and champagne is what you drink when you celebrate, and we're celebrating, right?" She looked at Jay, settling herself against the pillows, inadvertently wiggling her chest.

"Yeah, we're celebrating," Jay murmured, watching her movements. His eyes traveled up to her face, smirking slightly as he leaned down to give her a kiss. Quickly, Jay got off the bed, grabbing the phone, and ordering room service.

Walking back over to the bed, Jay climbed onto the bed, on his hands and knees over Emma, kissing up her stomach. Her giggles shot through his ears, making him smirk as he continued making his way up her body. Once Jay was at her lips, he shifted his weight to his elbow, caressing her hair with his other hand. Emma couldn't help the smile on her face as she wrapped her arms around Jay's neck, bringing his lips to hers.

The two teased each other at first, kissing slowly and nibbling at each other's bottom lips, but the teasing was quickly forgotten as the passion grew. The kiss deepened, and Jay's hand traveled down Emma's body, massaging her stomach before heading south to the button of her jeans. Nimbly, Jay's fingers worked the button, and then slowly pulled the zipper down. His hand came in contact with Emma's underwear, making her moan softly into the kiss. Breaking the kiss, Jay smirked at her as his middle finger made small circles on her panties.

"Jay," Emma whined, her voice just above a whisper.

Jay loved that, hearing his name come out of her mouth. He kissed her once more before moving down her body, slowly pulling off her jeans. As he made his way back up, he spoke softly with a smirk on his lips, "Ya know, I never knew how well 'Greenpeace' actually suited you."

Emma looked down at her matching bra and panties and shrugged lightly, "I like the color green. It looks good on me," She stated.

"Yes it does," Jay replied as he leaned down to kiss her.

As they slowly began another make out session, there was a knock on the door, "Room service."


End file.
